Dealing Fate A Losing Hand
by Smudge93
Summary: Dean knows he has to stop this, with or without any divine help. And now he thinks he might know how. Au from the end of 5.14 Spoilers up to 5.14 just to be safe and who knows if this is the way that it'll end. Not a deathfic.
1. Chapter 1

A/N Here is a strange little something that wormed its way into my brain and demanded attention. Lots of short chapters to come, a jerky kind of style to it and I'm not really sure what the heck it wants from me.

* * *

He could feel the hand on his chest, feel the way the fingers seemed to slip a little into his skin, under his skin. Inside.

_That's one deep, dark nothing you got there, Dean._

He bolted awake, taking a minute to get his bearings, the fan spinning slowly above his head letting him know that he was in the panic room, crumpled in the corner of it to be exact.

_You can't win and you know it._

"Shut up." Raising his hands to his head he tried vainly to damp down the voice that was snaking through his thoughts.

_You just keep fighting, keep going through the motions._

"I said, shut the fuck up!" He used the wall to get drunkenly to his feet, legs numb from sitting in the same position for so long. Finally managing to get upright Dean moved over to the still twitching form of his brother. The hunter knelt down on protesting knees, getting next to the bed and checking the bonds that held Sam, making sure that they were still secure but not causing any damage. Once he was happy that Sam wasn't in any more discomfort than he had to be, Dean slumped down against the bed, resting his hand down on his brother's and then his head on that. Closing his eyes he willed sleep to come claim him again. He needed it, craved it. That brought his thoughts back to Famine's words.

_You're not hungry, Dean, because inside... you are already dead._

"Enough already. I get it." Dean flicked one eye opened and looked again at the figure on the bed wondering just how he was suppose to save his brother. "He killed a horseman," he whispered quietly to himself.

"Dean?" Sam's voice was weak but the tremor that ran through him was like an earthquake.

"Hey Sammy." The elder Winchester pushed himself up and reached over to the small table to get the glass of water that sat there. "Here, drink some of this." He lifted the straw in the glass to his brother's grateful mouth and let him drink for a second or two, then he withdrew it. "Not too much." Dumping the glass back down Dean reached over and wiped the sweat from his brother's forehead. "How you feeling?"

"Dean." Sam jerked on the bed again and Dean prayed for the second time in as many days for some help as his brother started to spasm. This was worse, so much more worse, than the last time.

"Sam?" He dragged himself up off the floor, placing his weight over his young sibling, trying to make sure that he didn't hurt himself. "It's ok little brother, I got cha. Just ride it out Sam. I'm here."

Sam turned his head towards the sound of his voice but his eyes didn't look as if they were seeing anything but what was going on inside his head. Then, suddenly, the look cleared and the two brother's held each other's stare. "Dean?"

"It's ok Sam. I'm here," he repeated, not sure of what else he could do or say at this moment.

"Help me….please…I need some help. Please…"

Dean wiped at the tears that formed unbidden in his eyes as his own words can back to haunt him and he leant in. "I will Sam, I will. I promise I'll find a way to make this better ok? You just have to hold on a little longer for me Sam. Do you think you can do that?"

Sam closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. "No Dean. I don't think that I can."

Dean wasn't sure if the tears on his brother's face were his or Sam's own.


	2. Chapter 2

CH2

He had come upstairs after Sam had fallen asleep again, some basic needs to be attended to that could no longer be ignored. When he'd finished, he wandered through to Bobby's main room, taking in the sight of the older hunter lying comatosed on the desk, books on Lucifer and angels strewn around him.

Bobby had been working hard on trying to figure out an exit strategy for both boys. Trying to find a magic get out of jail free card than probably didn't exist. It hadn't happened yet and Dean realised that the hunter was almost as broken now as Dean felt. He couldn't help but feel partly to blame as he looked at the chair that Bobby was confined to. Yet another consequence of his saying no to the angels. To Michael. How much more collateral damage would they suffer before he had no choice but to say yes and make all their suffering and their losses for nothing? He discovered that he didn't really want to know the answer to that.

Dean took a beer from the fridge and Bobby's notebook from the table. Sitting down on the old couch he tried to see if he could find something, anything that the older man might somehow have missed. Something dug into his back as he leaned into the seat and he turned, reaching into his jacket that was slung over the back, finding the Colt and pulling it from his pocket, discarding the weapon on the table and turning back to the notebook.

Bobby had been working on Michael's little revelation of the Winchester bloodline and suddenly something started to nag at Dean, the thought forming as he looked up and studied the Colt again. A plan starting to form in his mind, not a good plan but still, beggars and all that. He reached for his phone and called Castiel. He had found the person that Dean needed to speak to once, perhaps he'd be able to do it again.

----

Twenty minutes later Dean had his directions and he was in the Impala heading towards something that was neither fate nor destiny but if it worked would end just as badly for him.

He found he didn't really care, so maybe the horseman had been right.

Maybe he was already dead inside.

---

"You want to do what?" The man looked at him, eyes wide, and Dean knew that he was waiting for some kind of punch line that he wasn't going to get. "You're serious about this? This is your plan for saving your brother and stopping the apocalypse?"

"Yes. Are you going to help me or not? Or perhaps you've got a better plan? Oh wait, I tried your plan. It didn't work." Dean crossed his arms and waited.

"You would really do this for your brother, knowing what you know, what it would be like for you?"

Dean shrugged. "Well at least this time, I'd really know what I'd be letting myself in for. Besides, what can they do to me that they haven't already done?"

The demon walked round the edge of the crossroads, pulling his coat tighter to him as he did, studying the man before him with interested eyes. "Did they take you down to the room?"

"The room?" Flashes of white crossed behind Dean's eyes and the sound of his own screams replayed in his head. He breathed deeply and pushed the memories away.

"Yes. The white room."

"Yes." The room was were they had finally broken him, it's inhabitants too talented for even the taste of many of the demons or to be allowed to roam free into the general population of hell.

The room was where they sent the ones they couldn't break. The room was were Alastair kept his best and his brightest. It was were Dean himself had been getting groomed to work in, his own potential talent brought forth by his spell there as a guest.

"How long were you there before they broke you? A day? A week?"

"Two months." Dean tried to force down the nightmares that where begging for release, he needed to concentrate on the plan and forget about the consequences.

"That's…..wow." Admiration now shone in the eyes that bore into Dean's soul. "Maybe you're not such a moron after all. So you've been to hell? You've been in the room? And yet you are going to risk getting stuck back there, back in that room? Are you sure about this? I mean, after throwing this little stunt and what your brother did to Alastair, it won't be a visit to it you'll be paying. You won't be getting to work in there either. In fact, they'll probably throw you in there and toss the key."

Dean shuddered at the though but smiled at the man. "It won't matter, if I get what I want out of this, none of it will matter."

"Fine." Crowley smiled at him. "It's your funeral. When do you want to do this?"

"As soon as you can put it together." Dean knew that his nerve might only hold so long.

"Tomorrow. At midnight. So," Crowley stepped forward and moved into Dean's space, putting a hand behind his head and pulling him close, "do we have a deal?"

"Will all my conditions be met and no screwing around with them?"

"My word is my bond."

"That what I'm afraid of. Do I have to seal it this way?" Dean rolled his eyes as the crossroads demon nodded.

"Deal." He felt the brief pressure of the other man's lips on his and then he was alone, standing at the crossroads, hoping that destiny this time couldn't twist this sacrifice as it had the last one.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

---

Sam opened his eyes and looked into the trouble face of one Bobby Singer. He was surprised by how good he felt inside, the cravings and the hunger that had haunted him for the last two days were completely gone. He would feel terrific if it wasn't for the feeling of something being very wrong with the picture in front of him and the look on the hunter's face.

"We've got a problem."

Sam sighed, didn't they always.

Bobby continued. "I think your brother has gone and done something very, very stupid. Even for him."

"What? Where is Dean? Define stupid?" He was still trying to decide what was wrong with what he was looking at when he realised what it was. Bobby was downstairs in the panic room with him. And he was standing. Sam gestured to the man." What the hell?"

"Woke up with pins and needles in my legs. Stood up before I remembered I couldn't and found that I could anyway. I can walk, you look a million times better than you did." He halted and lifted his cap, brushing at the hair under it before he continued. "And Dean's missing."

"Missing?" Sam swung his legs off the bed and stood. He noticed Castiel standing over by the door looking about as sheepish as an angel ever could.

"I didn't realise. He said that he just wanted to talk to him about the Colt. It is not my fault."

Bobby jerked a finger in Cas' direction. "Dumbo here told Dean where he could find Crowley and this morning I can walk and you ain't a blood junkie no more. Don't take a genius to work out what's happened."

Panic filled Sam's eyes. " No he wouldn't."

"Did it before." Bobby's expression was pained when he looked down at his legs. "I'll try to find him. Check his cell phone, doubt that he'll want us to find him though. Too late now even if we do. Looks like a done deal to me."

"I'll help." Sam ran his fingers through his hair as he followed Bobby out and up the stairs. Looking at the walking miracle in front of him caused Sam's heart to tighten as he asked the question that he already knew the answer to. "Dean, what have you done?"

---

Dean had to see it with his own eyes before he went. He had to know that at least this part of his deal was safe and in the bag. They were going to tear strips off him, Bobby especially, but he didn't care.

Only a little piece of him acknowledged that he wanted to say goodbye.

The sound of the Impala drawing into the yard was enough to bring both men out of the door at a trot. Bobby was over and dragging him from the car before he'd even switched the engine off.

"You idjit! Didn't you learn your lesson the last time." Angry tears of frustration flowed unchecked down the older man's face and he grabbed the elder Winchester and threw him up against the car. "Did you really think that my legs would mean more to me that you did?"

"Bobby, I can explain…"

The punch caught him off guard sending him sliding onto his backside at the side of the car.

"I'd damn you to hell if I didn't know that you've already managed to do that to yourself." Bobby hauled him back to his feet, pinning him again even as Sam moved round and tried to pull him off, his eyes never leaving Dean's as he did. Bobby though was still not finished. "How long did you get this time?" He bounced Dean off the car. "How long?!"

"Bobby. Let's take this inside." Sam peeled the older hunter off his brother and Dean watched as the man seemed to sag and age right in front of him. Still, he let Sam guide him away only pausing to give Dean one last pain filled look before he headed for the house.

Dean sigh, pulled the keys from the car and followed them in.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry Anne1013 and Masondixon, it is what it seems and would I hurt our boy? lol (ok you know me too well but not until the next chapter at least :) )

* * *

"Ok. Spill." Bobby pushed Dean down into the seat and leant against the desk. "How long'd you get this time?"

The younger man dropped his eye line from his friend's and his brother's. "Midnight," he said quietly.

Sam and Bobby exchanged horrified looks. "Midnight?" Sam asked. "Like tonight, midnight?"

Dean nodded, "It isn't what you think. I had this idea."

"Yeah, I remember that you had one of those the last time." Bobby waved his arms at the younger man. "And look how damned well that one turned out. You being dead broke something in your brother that still hasn't been fixed!" Sam gave the hunter a hurt look. "Well it's true, that bitch'd never have got as far into you if he'd been here."

Dean bristled. "Well I fixed it now, haven't I?"

"Why you…."

Sam stepped in between quickly.

"Bobby. Why don't we just let him explain." He pulled the older man over to the couch and into the seat, sitting down next to him. "Dean?"

Dean laced his hands together and dropped his head, wondering how he'd explain his random thought process and how it had led him to here. "I made a deal with Crowley. I was looking at Bobby's research and the idea hit me." He paused, wiped at his face with his hand and then continued. "You don't have demon blood in you anymore. The first condition of my deal was that your blood was made clean of everything. Yellow eyes' blood, Ruby's blood, everything. Do you feel it?" he asked hopefully.

Sam nodded. "I feel it. It feels good." He smiled sadly at his brother. "Not worth what you did for it though."

"I didn't just do it for you." He turned to Bobby. "It's my fault that you couldn't walk. I said no to Zachariah even when he told me what he'd do to you. I'm just setting that wrong right Bobby. You should have been able to walk, I talked to the doctors. They couldn't find the reason why you weren't able to. But I knew Bobby." his voice softened. "I knew."

"Dean…" Bobby shook his head. "I could have lived with the way I was."

"Yeah, well I couldn't. It's been eating at me all this time."

"So you sold your soul for my blood and Bobby's legs. What does Crowley get out of the deal? No offence, but I'm sure that your soul really isn't worth that much to him," Sam offered.

Dean shook his head. "It's not. It's just a condition of the deal as well. Can't make a deal without a soul for sale." He smiled wryly.

"So what else did you give him?"

"I can't tell you." Sam went to protest but Dean stopped him. "Your Lucifer's vessel. The rest of the deal concerns him. I'm sorry Sam, I would if I could."

Sam played with the bracelet on his wrist, looking down away from his brother, hiding the pain in his eyes." You said that you'd help me Dean. How am I supposed to fight Lucifer if I don't have you by my side?"

Dean stood, walked over and knelt down in front of his brother. "By the time this is done, I'm hoping that you won't have to."

"Did you do this for me?" Sam bit into his bottom lip and tried not to let the tears fall.

"I did it because I had to Sam. There is no other choice. I can't say yes to Michael. I can't fight you if you yes to Lucifer. I can't." Dean stood and started to pace the room, trying to calm the sick feeling in his stomach by motion.

"I'm not going to say yes Dean," Sam protested, hurt filling his voice. "You wouldn't let me even if I wanted to, which I don't."

Dean swallowed hard and rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "Yeah, you are. You're going to say yes Sam."

His brother and Bobby's head shot up at that. "What?"

"In my vision of the future, you said yes and I said no. Lucifer won Sam." He turned to his brother. "You killed me. Snapped my neck."

Sam's mouth dropped open as Dean continued. "He said that no matter what I did, what I altered that we would end up there, at the same place. I didn't believe him until the horseman touched me. Until it looked inside me. Sam, in the future I was this person that was so dead inside, he did things that I could never, and yet, he was me. I can feel it Sam. Just like the horseman said. I'm dying inside Sam, the thing that makes me, me? It's dying, if it isn't dead already. I'm on my way to becoming that person that I don't want to be." Dean slumped down into the seat. "And so were you, until now."

Silence fell on the room after that until Dean wiped his hand across his lips and looked up at Bobby. "I need your help to finish this. Will you help me?"

Bobby's sigh was long and sorrowful. "You know that I will. Just tell me what you need me to do."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

One little Ouch factor in this one, beware

----

Sam had fought about being sent away but his brother was adamant. "You can't be here. Not with Lucifer, not in the same room. My plan isn't going to work if you're here. I'd just be handing you over to him!"

"Dean." Sam pleaded.

"No Sam. Cas'll take you some place safe. He'll fetch you back when it's all over." Dean bit his lip and touched his brother's shoulder. "This time, will you stay with Bobby and Cas? Please? No revenge, no paybacks. I need you to promise that you'll keep yourself safe."

Sam huffed and nodded. "I promise this time will be different. This time I know the cost of not listening to you."

The moment was awkward. Sam wanted to hug his brother to him and never let go but he could tell that Dean had already built whatever defenses he would need to get through the next few hours and Sam didn't want to break them down. "If Cas can do anything, I'll see that he does. If we can get you out….."

Dean frowned at that. "Do not do anything stupid on my behalf."

Sam shook his head in disbelief. "Yeah? Like you just have you mean? Again?"

His brother just shrugged. "Do as I say, not as I do Sammy. Promise me?"

"I promise."

Dean turned to Cas. "Get him out of here and then get back. I need your help with the ritual."

Sam smiled as the angel scowled at his brother's tone but said nothing about it. "I will not be long." With that and a touch to Sam's head, both men disappeared.

Dean sniffed and breathed deeply. "So help me Sammy, if you don't do like I ask this time, I swear that I'm gonna come back and haunt your ass."

He turned into the living room to find Bobby and finish his preparations.

---

"I can't do this." Bobby paced the room, casting a quick glance over at the bare arm of the man sitting on the desk. "You can't ask me do to this."

"Please Bobby. Cas has taken Sam away and then he's gonna be busy setting up the finishing touches to the ritual. I can't do this myself."

Bobby rubbed at his head. "Why not?"

"Because I'm probably gonna pass out the minute the damn thing touches me. Bobby, please?"

"I hate you," Bobby stated but without an ounce of vitriol in his voice, ".. just so you know." The older hunter crossed over to stand next to him. "I hate your idea and I hate that you're making me do this to you. I hate having no choice in the matter."

"Not as much as I do. Can we get this over with, please, before my time runs out?"

"Fine." Bobby folded the leather belt that was on the table. "Bite down on this."

Dean opened his mouth and obediently bit down, shifting to lie down. He laid out his arm to the side, but resting it still on the table.

Bobby crossed to the fire and took the iron out from it. "Son, I'm sorry." He brought his hand down on Dean's wrist and the hot metal down quickly on the arm that was outstretch, counting the seconds off until he could raise it again, trying to ignore the muffled screams that a Dean who hadn't passed out as planned was making. Throwing the iron back in the fire, Bobby quickly poured cold water on the burnt skin, the sizzling noise from Dean's flesh making him want to puke. He pulled the belt from between Dean's still tightly clenched jaws and lifted him up against him. "It's ok. I gotcha. I gotcha." He rocked the younger man back and forth slowly until Dean found his voice.

"Sonuvabitch. That hurt." The words were almost sobs.

"Like you didn't know that it was gonna? Don't ever ask me to do anything like that ever again."

"Probably won't get the chance Bobby." Dean tried to sit upright on his own and failed.

The older hunter caught him and eased him back down. "Lie back down for a spell, I'll get something to wrap round that so's that he don't see it."

As Bobby went to walk away Dean caught his wrist with his hand. "Thank you."

"What else are friends for 'cept for branding marks into your flesh? Lie still, I'll be back."

Dean closed his eyes and let his mind shut down for a few minutes to the pain, trying not to think that this was nothing compared to what he had just signed up for.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

A/N I will accept all bad words that come my way! *hides behind cushion*

* * *

The preparations were finished and Dean was alone now. Cas had taken Bobby to be with Sam and the older Winchester was sitting on the porch of Bobby's place, a final beer in hand and a little smile on his face. Somehow to him, this felt right. It felt like it was going to work. He needed it to work. Regardless of what happened to him.

Finishing the beer he walked back into the house and lit the candles. Then he stood and started the recital of the ritual that would bring the devil to him. He didn't have to wait long.

"Well, not the Winchester brother I was expecting to call but, what can I do for you Dean?" The angel smiled serenely at him.

The hunter took in the mess of the skin on Lucifer's vessel and smiled back at his foe. This just might have a chance of working.

"I've called you to offer you your vessel."

"You are giving me your brother?" Lucifer looked shocked and a little taken aback.

"As if." Dean enlightened him. "No. I'm offering you another one." He pointed to his chest with one finger. "Me."

The creature before him threw back it's head and laughed. "You? You refuse to let my brother in, yet now I am suppose to believe that you are willing to let _me_ ride you?" It sneered the last part at him, closing the gap and coming to stand beside him. "What makes you think that I'd want to wear your meat suit when I can have Sam's?"

"We're both vessels because of our bloodline. Our Winchester bloodline. Azazel's blood was only so that Sam would have the power to kill Lillith and break the seal. You don't need that in the vessel that you take. You just need one that is strong enough to hold you, and since Michael is more powerful than you, I should suit your needs perfectly." The smirk was designed to infuriate.

Lucifer rose to the bait, gripping his neck. "Michael is not stronger than I am. Your brother is my rightful vessel."

"But he isn't here, and you can't find him." Dean pulled at a loose piece of flesh. "That and you're running out of time."

"That's as maybe, but why would you offer yourself to me?"

"I want to save my brother. If you agree that you'll let him be, let him live out a normal life then I'll give myself up to you."

"I intend to destroy mankind, you know that right?" Lucifer chuckled. "That'll include your darling little Sammy at some point."

"I know that. At least though he'll get to die as a human and not be turned into something evil and abhorrent. Like you."

The devil ran his hand through Dean's short hair, pulling him closer still, whispering his next words in his ear. "You will though, you will weld the sword that destroys mankind if you let me in. Then I suppose, after what you did in Hell, you might actually have a taste for it." Lucifer took Dean's face in his hands. "Did you get a taste for it Dean? Are you going to get off on destroying the world?" Lucifer caressed the hunter's cheek. "Alastair was so complimentary about you. You were his rising star, until the angels pulled you free. Tell me what did you enjoy most Dean? It's alright. I won't let anyone else know your deep, dark secret."

Dean hesitated. He had to play him but the memories made him feel sick to his stomach as he dredged the emotions back up from deep inside. "I liked it when they screamed my name." He leant forward towards the devil. "I liked it when they begged, and then I still tortured them anyway."

"Ah the begging. That's always the best part Dean. The part when you know that you are the one with all the power." Lucifer stepped back. "Beg me Dean."

"What?"

"Beg me to let you be my vessel. Beg me for the honour of it." Lucifer pushed him down onto his knees and tilted his head up to face him, hand gripped tightly in Dean's hair. "Such a beautiful face." A finger brushed over his lips and across his cheek and Dean shivered at the thought of what he was agreeing to here.

Digging deep, Dean pulled up the words that Lucifer had spoken to him in the future and used them to stroke the ego of the being before him. "Please. I beg you, chose me to be your vessel. We can't defeat you, I know that now, so please," he looked up pleadingly with those green eyes, and the devil was captivated by him, "let me be the one that you use to rid this planet of it's plague of mankind. Let it once again be a place of beauty and of peace. I kneel down before you and I beg you. Please?"

Lucifer knelt down and gently kissed Dean's head, smiling as the hunter shrunk back from the touch. "That was beautiful Dean, if a little false, but still so worthy of its prize. Do you want to be my vessel?"

"Yes." Dean closed his eyes and waited.

"Then I accept your gracious offer." Dean's body jerked as Lucifer gripped his arms and pulled him nearer. "But you didn't get me to agree to your other terms Dean. You really need to work on your negotiating skills." Lips brushed his ear and the low chuckle rang round inside Dean's head. "I'm still going to hunt down your brother Dean, only it'll be you that he'll see, your image that will make him say yes to me. So much harder for him to resist his brother's pleading than that of my own. I will still have your brother, rest assured of that, even as you die knowing that you failed him again. And as an added bonus I get to ride my brother's vessel into the ground. These are truly the days of miracles and wonder."

Dean screamed Sam's name as he felt the invasion, not able to fight it having already freely surrender his body to the beast that even now he could feel rising up inside him. A final prayer for his plan to work or that God might yet keep his brother safe escaped his lips and then he knew no more, was no more.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

A/N quick update as a little thank you for you guys getting so into this. I love the reviews and I really want to see what you think. No patience! lol

Think I might need something stronger than a cushion for the end of this one though, more tomorrow, or earlier if I get the chance.

Thanks again.

----

Lucifer held out the arms of his new acquisition and smiled to himself. It wasn't Sam Winchester but still, there was a lot to be admired about the older brother too. Not the good traits oh no, but the others…oh my. So much pain, so much need. And he'd gotten one over on Michael. He chuckled as he cast an eye over the body that he now called home.

"You're perfect Dean. This is one ride that I'm going to enjoy and when I'm finished with you, well at least you won't feel anything anymore Dean. Just a long pleasant nothingness." He stretched Dean's arms up over his head and wondered at the little jolt of pain that flash through him. His arm was hurt? Wondering briefly if it was Castiel's mark that was troubling him he took off the shirt he was wearing and stared at the bandage, for the first time a little doubt creeping into him.

Slowly he unwound it and touched the outline of the mark that was branded there. "Very nice try Dean, bind me to your soul so that I can't leave you and take on your brother as host. It won't work, I'll burn it off but still, nice try." A nagging doubt that he was missing something hit him as he stared as the burn.

"That isn't why he did it." The English tones of the crossroad demon came from behind him and the devil turned, lifting a hand and pinning the man to the wall.

"Crowley! Why, I've been looking for you. I know it was you that gave them the gun, pity it doesn't work on the likes of me."

Crowley smirked. "Well now you found me. And yes I gave them it, hoped that we could solve a mutual problem that we had with it. You. Now if you don't mind, I've come to collect something that's mine. Seems I've bagged a bonus prize as well though." The sound of the hell hounds howling drifted to the ears of Lucifer.

"Hell hounds? Really? You think that you can use your dogs to drag me back down Crowley?" A small mirthless laugh escaped Dean's lips.

The crossroads demon nodded his head towards the raised, burnt skin on Dean's arm. "That mark is old magic that I doubt even you can break in the time you have left." He cleared his throat. "And no, on their own the hounds are useless against you but Dean here you see, he made a deal."

Lucifer's eyes widened.

"And him, they can and will drag back to Hell. Seems that you're going to get to come along for the ride. Twofers – got to love 'em, eh?"

"You can't do this to me."

"Now that is where you're wrong." The clock started to chime and Crowley's smile deepened. "A deal is a deal, even if it does come with baggage." He uttered a small chant and the door flung wide as the last chime struck, the hounds rushing it to claim their prize. "Never underestimate what humans will sacrifice in the name of love, _my master_. As they say, it conquers all."

The rest of his speech was drowned out by the snarl of the dogs and the screams.

----

It was déjà vu. Sam was here again. Another house. Another deal. Another time that he would have to bury his brother.

Crowley had cleaned house as part of the deal. This time there was no blood, and the body was healed, the wounds of the hell hounds removed and Dean re-dressed before Sam or Bobby set foot in the house.

Now to Sam it seemed as if his brother was merely sleeping, Dean's face peaceful and serene to look on. If only that was the truth, Sam wished.

"So Jack is back in the box."

Sam looked round to see the demon Crowley leaning on the doorway. "How did Dean do it?"

"Made a deal that if I fixed you and the old hunter out there, he'd let Lucifer in, be my worm on the hook to drag the devil back to Hell. You see, Dean and you share the same blood, that means that technically, Dean can be Lucifer's vessel as well. An angel has an open phone line to its vessel, so Castiel showed Dean how to tap into that line and use it to summon Lucifer to him. The binding link and the iron though, that was my idea. Burn the link onto Dean's arm and once he let Lucifer in, well then he couldn't just let himself back out again. I dragged his ass to Hell right along with your brother's."

Crowley walked to the bottom of the bed and looked down on the body there. "Even Lucifer can't break a contract and Dean's deal sealed both their fates. He's a brave bastard, I'll give him that. Stupid, but like I said, he has balls."

Sam could only nod. "So my brother is in Hell and Lucifer is there to?"

'Fraid so. Can't see him being very happy with your brother either, what with Dean snaring him back downstairs and halting the apocalypse. Can't see that being pretty." He gestured to Dean's body. ""So what are you going to do with that? Not like the other one can get in there now, no one left to say yes. It's just an empty vessel now. You should burn it, before it starts to smell bad."

Sam threw him a look, wishing for just a second that he could still use his powers and banish the idiot back to Hell himself. "That's my dead brother's body that you're talking about."

Crowley shrugged. "Sorry, Demon. Not known for our tact you know?"

"I take it there isn't anything that I can do to bring him back?"

The demon smirked. "No, and if you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting that would be a double no. His orders not mine."

Sam looked at Dean. "He made that part of the deal?"

"Yup. No deals with Sam Winchester or he gets a get out of jail free card and I get locked down instead and much as I admire your brother's balls, I prefer my own topside."

"What about Michael? Couldn't I call him to me and use him to get Dean out?" Sam asked hopefully.

Crowley shook his head. "Michael isn't going to help now, Dean screwed his plans just as much as he screwed Lucifer's. They were suppose to fight. There was supposed to be an apocalypse. Michael has no need for Dean now, besides, I'm sure that if your brother put a leash on me he'll have put one on your friendly, neighbourhood angel as well and without Castiel's help you'll never be able to summon Michael."

Sam looked back over at his brother, the question bubbling inside him. "What's it like?"

"Hell?" Crowley shook his head. "You don't want to know. It's better that you don't know. I need to go now, if you need anything….call someone else alright?"

Sam turned his attention back to Dean as the demon vanished, the pain in his chest causing his whole body to tremble. He leant over his brother and placed a hand over Dean's own, flinching at the coldness of it.

"This time, I swear I'm going to find a way to get you out."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

A/N Hey there! A surprise for Dean in Hell in this one, and not a good one. And this is where the hurt him starts, just so that you know. (Well maybe not starts, it gets worse!) The three stoogies, sorry musketeers, that are left try to figure out how they get their man back.

Quick question - If you leave a review, can you let me know if you want this to end with Dean's rescue or for it to take a little while for him to recover - physically at least - and then end? I'm happy either way so, just let me know. Mary xx

* * *

Dean didn't want to open his eyes, didn't want to acknowledge where he was. What he'd done.

It was the voice that chilled his heated skin and caused his eyelids to flutter open. "No, you can't be here."

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." The grinning face of Alastair appeared in front of him, confirming that the nightmare was worse than he ever thought it could be. "Welcome home Dean." The demon smirked at the shock on the face before him. "What? Did you think that little brother had actually killed me? Killed ME? Almost but not quite, not like he fried Lillith. Still, hurt like a bitch though." The laugh made Dean's bones rattle in his skin as the hand reached down and pulled him from the floor.

"No, no, no. He did me a favour Dean. He didn't kill me, he got me banished back to Hell for all eternity, even if it wasn't all in one piece." Dean felt his nausea rising as he got a better look at the arm and hand that held him, twisted and misshapen from the elbow down. "I can't seem to fix this but then again, I never have to go back topside, so every cloud….. And now, look who I've got to spend eternity with? Who says that there isn't a God?"

Dean screamed as Alastair raised his free arm and drove the hook in it's hand down into the hunter's shoulder, pulling him along the ground by it. "It's been a while since we decorated in the room Dean. Never really liked white, how do you fancy blood red?" He grinned back at his catch that flailed against the tug of the metal. "Not sure? Let's use your blood Dean and see what it looks like eh?"

"Please." Dean forced the word out and Alastair stopped.

"Begging already Dean? That's good." Alastair reached down and lifted his head up grinning manically at him. "So how do you intend to get out of here this time Dean? Hear your angel buddy isn't flying so high these days."

The hunter tried to summon up a brave face. "No friggin' idea. Getting me out, wasn't the plan."

"Might have wanted to work that one out before you got here. Such a long time since I've seen the boss that annoyed at anyone, so much so that he's going to come by and say hi, thank you personally for dragging him back down here. I wouldn't want to be you Dean, I really wouldn't." There was a madness dancing in the demon's eyes. "I've got some old friends in here too Dean that will be delighted to see you again. A little warm up act for the main event."

Dean took the little comfort that he could from his plan having worked before he was dragged into his own personal chamber of horrors and the door slammed shut behind him.

----

Sam was sitting in the room, unsure of what to do next. Somehow, the thought of burning his brother's body when his soul was probably burning in Hell didn't seem quite right, and it felt like giving up.

"You ok?" Bobby asked as he walked into the room and handed the younger man the whisky bottle.

Sam shook his head at the offer and in the negative for how he felt. "No," he confirmed. "Where's Cas?"

"Trying to see if there's anything he can do to get him back. I think he feels kinda guilty, even for an angel." Bobby took a long slug from the bottle.

"We got the Colt, Ruby's knife……" Sam put forward. "We could go in after him."

"And just how do you expect to get him out Sam? You of all people should not be the one to march into Hell and ask for your brother back. Anyhow, even if by some miracle we could get his soul back, how the heck do we put him back together?" Bobby waved the bottle in his hand in Dean's general direction.

"Maybe Cas would know how?" Sam was desperate.

"I'll go in." Both men turned to see the angel standing in the doorway.

"Forgive me for stomping on your parade, but ain't you a sandwich short of a picnic when it comes to your demon dealing angel powers?" Bobby shook his head. "What is it with you guys. It's a bad day when Dean was the one that's managed to come up with the best plan outta the lot of you and it still stunk!"

"If I go in through the Gate I should still have enough power to pull us both free. That and I have this sword and I can take the Colt."

Bobby lifted his cap and scrubbed at his forehead. "You're as crazy as he is." He gestured to the dead body on the bed. "One angel, a sword and a gun against the hordes of Hell? Go knock yourself out."

"Well, what then?" Sam rounded on the older man. "At least let him try. We can't just leave him there!"

Bobby reached down a hand. "I know. He looked over at Cas. "Maybe your plan doesn't stink quite as badly as I thought. If you get his soul out, can you put it back in him?"

Cas nodded. "Sam can you fetch me the Colt?"

With a nod Sam stood and went to bring the weapon back.

Cas waited until he was gone from the room and turned to Bobby, concern written on his face.

"What? You gonna hit me with that bad news you've got written on your face?" the hunter asked gruffly.

"Lucifer was in Dean. It wasn't very long, but still." Cas shot the door a worried look. "Even if we find his soul in one piece, the body might be broken inside beyond repair."

Bobby gave him an 'are you kidding me' look and huffed worthy of Sam. "One humungous problem at a time please. Let's find the pieces of the jigsaw first 'fore we worry that we might not to get 'em to fit back together and make the right picture."

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

A/N Thanks for the reviews people and all the alerts and favs! They make my day. Now where were we?

Major whump in this one!

* * *

He tried to crawl across the floor, his hands useless and broken, his elbows his only leverage to pull himself to the relative safety of the corner. Alastair was tailing him, drawing circles with his bare foot in the snail trail of blood that Dean left in his wake.

"You can't hide in here Dean, you should know better." The demon knelt down and started to crawl after his prey, tugging at Dean's foot, knocking him off balance and sending a stabbing pain through him with each pull. Finally Dean reached his goal, pulling his legs up as far as he could manage, curling as small as he dared into the corner. There was the sound of laughter and then his leg was caught and he screamed as he was dragged back out by the devil himself.

"Please stop. Please stop." Dean sobbed into the floor as he was pulled across it, his own blood smoothing the passage.

Lucifer knelt down to him, pulling the hunter's arm out and turning it until the bone cracked in Dean's shoulder. "No stopping this time Dean. No offers. No reprieves. No rest from the wicked. You may have won this time Dean but I am going to spend all eternity making you question the worth of your victory, making you pay for my defeat at your hands."

Alastair walked round Lucifer with the knife held loosely in his own hand. "Do you remember what this is called?"

Dean felt his fear rack up a notch. "It's a Liston knife."

"And what is it for Dean?" Alastair brought the edge of the blade along Dean's wrist, slicing into it with ease.

"Amp……..ah……amputations."

"Very good, well remembered; and they say you're the dumb one." Alastair turned to the other two demons that were free in the room. "Hold him still." Waiting until his prey was pinned he positioned the knife and smiled. "This might take a time, not quite as sharp as it should be. Can't get the staff."

Dean wondered briefly how he could have forgotten how bad it had really been but as the edge of the knife was brought down hard on the hell formed flesh and bone of his arm he found all he could remember was how to scream; Alastair relishing every one as he set about his task.

----

They were standing at the Devil's Gate in Wyoming. Cas was standing to the fore, Colt in one hand, sword in the other, determination gleaming in his eyes. Looking every inch one of God's Warriors. Except maybe for the trench coat.

He turned to Sam, the serene look on his face at odds with the rest of his demeanour. "I have an idea where they will be keeping him. It's where I found him the last time."

"D'you know how long it'll take to get to him?" Sam pushed his hair back nervously from his face.

"If I'm not back within the hour then you will know that I have failed and you must leave." He raised the gun level with the lock and looked over at Bobby. "Shut and lock the doors behind me, I should not need to come out this way but I can open them from inside if need be."

Bobby nodded. "One hour. Got it. Sam you ready?"

"Yeah." They moved into position behind the doors as Cas pushed the barrel home in the lock and the doors started to open.

"Good luck," Bobby screamed over the noise that was starting to build.

Cas turned. "God is with me. Close your eyes."

Checking that they had complied Cas pulled the Colt free and vanished inside in a blinding ball of light. The hunters struggled to get the doors closed again and breathed a sigh of relief as they locked even without the Colt's presence in the lock itself.

"Do you really think that he can do this? Find Dean? Save him again?" Sam slumped down the door as he spoke.

"I believe that he's the only real shot that we've got. That good enough for ya?" Bobby mirrored his actions.

"It'll have to be. For now at least." Sam looked across the graveyard. "Aren't there churches at the points of the devil's trap?"

Bobby nodded. "Sam Colt's ones? Yeah, five of 'em? Why?"

Sam stood. "Think we should go give Cas support the only way we can at the moment. I'm going to go pray for him to save my brother's soul. You coming?"

"Sure can't hurt." Bobby reached out his hand. "Help me up."

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

A/n Well Cas is in Hell and Bobby and Sam are praying for help that hasn't come before.

Only two more chapters to bring this to its original conclusion and then we can move on from there.

* * *

In the end it was easier to find Dean than Castiel could ever have imagined, using his sword and the Colt to smite down the demons that dared to get in his way he simply followed the screams that chilled the angel to his very core.

He was almost at his goal when they fell silent and he found himself uttering a prayer that he was not too late to save his friend.

The angel's final approach to the room went unchallenged.

Slowly he entered it, sword ready.

An unusual quietness enveloped him and a sense of foreboding filled him at the darkness that lay within the room's confines.

A darkness that Dean was lost in.

The quiet, muffled sobs finally reached his ears and he turned, sensing that it was the man he sought. Castiel walked to the corner, his eyes slowly adjusting to the gloom, better than a human's would have, and he felt a sob of his own rising in his throat as he took in the sight before him. "Good God, what have they done to you?"

The light was blinding as the room was hit with a sudden illumination, and the true horror of what they had done to Dean's soul became apparent. Blank, bloodshot eyes stared up at the angel from a face that he could barely recognise.

"Castiel, so nice of you to join us again."

The angel swivelled where he stood. Lucifer was standing to one side of him, Alastair a deferential step behind him.

The fallen angel grinned at him. "Too late Castiel. The Dean you know is lost to you, even if your free him from here. Without Heaven at your side you can't restore him. You have may have won the war but this particular battle has been lost. He's nothing more now than collateral damage."

"Then I hope one day that our paths may cross again brother and with Heaven behind me I have the strength to leave behind some collateral damage of my own. To repay you for your treatment of my friend."

Lucifer laughed. "Friendship is like love, a human weakness. Just look at him to see the validity of my words Castiel. He did this for the love of his friend and his brother. Dean Winchester is your ward, he is not your friend." The devil closed the gap between them. "And you have failed him."

"Perhaps, but even freeing him from here will be a victory in my eyes." Castiel reached out and closed his arm round the hunter's blood stained arm. "May God have mercy on you brother because I will not."

"Castiel!" The devil wore a shocked look on his face. "No forgiveness? My, how far you have fallen from Heaven and its teaching."

"Not as far as you. Enjoy rotting in Hell." The angel touched Dean's head and frowned as nothing happened.

Lucifer smiled as Castiel tried to use what power he had left to lift Dean's soul free. "What's wrong Castiel? Not got enough juice to get him out?"

Alastair smirked from behind him. "Maybe he needs another dime for the meter."

Lucifer chuckled at that. "Or maybe it's because I didn't bother to break the link between us and you can't free him."

Horrified eyes met the smiling ones of the devil as Cas tried once more to save them both.

"He isn't going anywhere. Only an angel still connected to the power of Heaven can break the link _and_ his deal and lift him free now, you should have known that. What are you going to do now? With your wings clipped you are not strong enough to fight Alastair here, never mind me. Perhaps you'd like to stay and share his torture?"

Castiel felt it as Dean moved beside him and turned to look down at him. Dean was trying to speak, fighting hard to get his mouth to form the words. The angel leant down nearer, nodding once to show that he understood. Standing he faced down his foes. "This is not over."

Lucifer laughed as the angel vanished and he walked over and knelt by Dean. He gently placed his hand behind the hunter's head and raised it from the floor. "He's right you know, see a thought has occurred to me. If I make you pick up a knife and shed blood, then we can start this little merry go round again."

Dean forced the smile onto his face and the words from his throat with sheer will. "Can't. Won't. 'sides, Sam's cured." Blood bubbled in his throat as he spoke.

The devil returned the smile. "Well we can always un-cure him. Can't we?" He relished the pain that his words caused in Dean's eyes. "Anyway, doesn't really matter, because the last seal? Lillith? It's already broken, so all I've got to do is break the first one again, that's you by the way, _and I'm free_." With that he slid his hand slowly into the hunter's chest, closing his fist on the heart that rested there, squeezing the life from him as he did the scream.

Letting go Lucifer stood, pulled a finger through the blood on his hand and licked at it. "So sweet Dean, so very sweet." He turned to Alastair and the others that were standing in the shadows, waiting their turn. "Get him ready to go again and this time, we're not stopping until he says yes."

TBC

Didn't think I'd make it that easy, did you? ; p


	11. Chapter 11

A/N Well Cas failed so what now.....

* * *

Bobby watched from one of the lesser broken pews as Sam cleared a space at the altar and knelt down, head resting against the marble of it's base.

The older hunter raised his eyes skyward. "If this old coot can drag his backside in here and ask you for some help, least you can do is listen. These boys are good folk, they've spent their whole lives on the road helping people, never had anything that they didn't have to beg, steal or borrow but still somehow they turned out right." He looked at Sam. "If a little lost at times." He looked up at the cracked and peeling ceiling above him. "So how's about it? You gonna get you fingers outta your ass and get down here and help them?"

He sat thoughtfully for a second.

"Suppose I should say please, shouldn't I?" The older hunter sighed, clasped his hands and bowed his head in prayer.

In front of him Sam did the same. "I know that I haven't done this for a while but with all that's been going on…….. I'm sorry. I've done some things that I'm not proud of, some of them to my own brother. I won't blame it on destiny because that would be too easy but I feel that all the important decisions in my life have been always been taken out of my hands except leaving for school and look how that turned out. My dad, then Dean, then Ruby. All deciding what I should do, who I should be and who I should listen to. This decision though is one that I can and will make on my own. Please, if we can't get him out, let me take his place, I'm the one that started this, it should be me that is downstairs accepting my punishment for my role in this. Dean was only doing what he's done his whole life, looking out for me. He doesn't deserve to suffer for being a loyal brother and a good son. Please." Sam raised his hands and placed them below where his head was resting. "Save my brother."

The doors to the church crashed open causing them both to jump and turn just as Castiel fell through them, dropping to his knees and then face planting onto the floor. Despite the extra distance Sam reached the angel before Bobby, turning him and cradling him up into his arms. "Cas? Are you ok? What happened?" He paused as he took in the pained expression on the angel's face.

"I failed him. I can't get him out."

Bobby took his cap off and turned to face back up the church, to the huge cross that still hung from the wall above the altar. He curled his lip and snarled at the image. "Well thank you for nothin'." He straightened his cap back on his head and moved to take one of Castiel's arms. "Come on Sam, let's get him home."

The younger Winchester bent down and hooked the angel's other arm over his shoulder, half lifting, half dragging Cas and Bobby back to the car.

Neither looked back to see the figure appear from the depths of the building. "Well since at least one of you boys asked so nicely." It snapped its fingers and vanished.

---

Alastair knew how to break Dean, after all, he had done it before. The hunter had been on the rack for two days without any break now, and that was on Hell time. Approaching quietly he reached forward with his good hand and tilted up Dean's head, taking in the broken look in the eyes that stared back at him.

"Cut him down." Moving back into the centre of the room he picked up the glass and the cloth and waited until the elder Winchester was dragged to him and dumped at his feet, then he knelt. "Here Dean. Drink this. Slowly." Alastair pulled the younger man's head onto his lap and administered the water, stopping before Dean could take too much. Then he started to wipe the blood, sweat and tears from his pupil's face, his movements almost a caress in their gentleness. "You know, we made a good team Dean. You were my most favoured of my children. We can be again. All this pain, I can stop it." Alastair pulled the knife round and laid it on the floor next to Dean's hand as a woman was pulled into the room by her hair and fastened in his place on the rack. "One stroke and it is all over. Do you remember how good it felt when it was finally over and you stopped fighting me?"

Dean licked his lips. "Yeah."

"It can feel like that again Dean. Just pick up the knife."

Dean shook his head slowly, despite the pain the movement caused. "No," he whispered. "Not when I know what it means if I do."

Alastair sighed sadly. "Perhaps then I need to remind you again of what it means if you don't."

Dean closed his eyes as the demon picked up the knife instead and raised it towards him.

---

It was the change in the light that drew Alastair's attention, causing him to turn straight into the hand that was reaching for him. "NO!" His shout filled the room as the figure behind him gripped his shoulder and forced him, screaming in agony, to the ground and away from Dean. The demon twitched and then lay still, wary eyes watching as the thing stared down at him, cold white fire lighting its eyes.

"I think you've got someone in here that I owe a debt to." The light died as the figure stepped forward and knelt down to Dean.

"You?" The hunter's voice was barely audible.

"Me. You Winchesters, you just can't keep out of trouble can you?" The hand touched his arm, burning the binding link off and causing Dean to cry out. "Now, don't say that I never do anything for you."

Dean would have laughed at the words if he'd had the energy or the thought process left to do it.

He passed out as he was pulled free.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

A/N Lots of good guesses for Dean's rescuer. There was a hint in the mystery person's last line to Dean, it was a line Dean had used to that person in 5.08.

This was the original last chapter but there will now be a little more with Sam having to get his brother back on his feet properly 'cos there has to be some h/c, right?

* * *

Gabriel sat down next to the bed and reached across, pulling up the t-shirt that Dean was dressed in and placing his hand directly over the dead man's heart. "Ok, been awhile since I did this so you might have to bear with me, not that you're likely to be going anywhere." Dean's flesh darkened and raised under the touch, the handprint branding on as easily as the iron had when Bobby had touched it to him.

"Dean. Wake up." The archangel pulled closer to the face of this enigma of a man, who quite frankly fascinated him. Even if Sam hadn't asked, Gabriel knew that he probably would have saved him, just to see what would come of it. What Dean would do next to confound his enemies and confuse his loved ones.

Gabriel waited until he could feel the rise and fall of the chest his palm rested on and then called Dean's name again. Heat started to spread out from the archangel's touch, the skin surrounding it losing it's deathly grey and taking on the fleshier tones of the living.

Green eyes flickered but failed to open.

"Damn it Dean Winchester, for once, do as you are damn well supposed to and wake the hell up!" Maybe it was the tone of voice that the archangel used or maybe it was just time for him to do so but Dean found the strength to open his eyes and turn his head to look at Gabriel. "That is more like it." The hanky appeared in his hand as blood started to run from Dean's mouth and he dabbed gently at it. "He really messed you up didn't he?" Gabriel's resolve not to help further wavered for a brief second and then he recovered. "Don't try to talk Dean, just rest. You need to heal, and for that I'm afraid, you are on your own. This was just a search and rescue."

Unable to talk Dean flexed his hand and waited until the angel took it, then he squeezed Gabriel's own with as much strength as he could muster and hoped that he would understand.

He did. "Your welcome. Rest now until your brother gets here." Gabriel touched Dean's head and gently eased him into a restful sleep. "You've a long road in front of you."

-----

It was three very despondent figures that made their way over the junk yard and up into the house. Sam and Bobby helped Cas into a chair and then the younger man headed off into the back room where his brother was, pausing at the door when he saw the figure that was sitting next to the bed. "What do you want? Come to gloat?"

"Now, now Sam. I know that we have had our differences in the past but I'm here to help. You did ask for help didn't you? Save my brother? Well helps here and I'm it." Gabriel repeated the line that he had said to Dean." I would hate for your brother to say that I never did anything for him." A small chuckle escaped the angel. "He released me and now I've released him. Fair is fair."

"You've released him?" Cas was standing in the doorway, leaning heavily on it.

Gabriel gave Castiel the once over and shook his head. "Brother do you look bad, Hell not agree with you?"

"Answer the question." Cas asked again as he came in and slumped down on the other seat next to Dean's bedside.

"You two are very narky, especially as, like I said, I've come bearing gifts." He waved his hand at Dean and they turned in unison, following it's path.

Sam moved over quickly to sit down on the bed, reaching his hand out and touching it to Dean's neck. "He's warm! There's a pulse!"

"Human beings usually are and do have, when they are alive."

"You fetched his soul from Hell?" Cas looked up at his brother, suspicion clouding his face. "Why?"

"Why?" Gabriel rest his chin on his fist and tapped at his cheek with one finger. "I owed him? Sam asked? Bobby demanded? You couldn't? It's over? Take your pick brother. I've been following this little charade for a while now and I must say it is fascinating."

"How did you find us?" Cas asked. "I hid the boys."

"Ah yes the Rib tattoos, very ingenious little brother but you really should have put one on the maitre d' over there." He hooked a thumb at Bobby. "All these people looking for the brothers and no one seeing that their angel had left the landing light on. I just waited here for them to arrive." He waved his arms at the room. "And they did. Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, so Lucifer is back where he belongs and Michael is once again in Heaven. That means that I get to keep playing in my little sandbox and it's all because of your boy here."

A small groan turned all their eyes in the direction of the bed.

"Dean?" Sam shook his brother's shoulder gently. "Dean can you hear me?"

"He wont wake up just now and there is a little condition to my part in this game." Gabriel looked at the younger Winchester as he spoke.

"Condition?" Sam said coldly, glaring at the angel. "Game?"

"It has to be a game Sammy. No fun for me if we don't play by my rules! You always have to win the main prize with me, you should know that by now." Gabriel smiled and crossed over to him. "Dean will be your penance that you seek. He will be your burden to bear now Sam, just as you were always his. I've brought him back for you, it's your job now to heal him."

Sam looked aghast. "Me heal him?"

"Yes, that's your part in the game. So that you can still get to play your insignificant human role in the saving of Dean Winchester."

Castiel jumped in. "Gabriel you must heal Dean fully, you can't leave him without doing your job." Sam reached across and touched his arm.

"Cas, it's ok. He's right, compared to what he did, this is insignificant. I mean Gabriel pulled him from Hell." He turned to the archangel. "I don't think I can ever thank you enough for that."

Gabriel smiled at Castiel. "See, my plan is working already. First lesson of the game learnt – humility. Being grateful for what you've been given, no matter how much more you might need."

"So how do I heal my brother? What do I need to do?" Sam cast his eyes down to the bed.

"The same way that he has always protected you. Love, care, comfort, devotion. By being his brother Sam. By putting him before everything else. Think you can do that?"

Sam looked down at his brother, this time actually sleeping peacefully on the bed next to him and nodded. "Yeah, finally, I know I can."

"We shall see young Mr Winchester, _we shall see_."


	13. Chapter 13

A/N Onto the recovery. Mary x

* * *

Sam tried to ignore the two angels that were almost fighting each other outside the bedroom that his brother was lying in.

Sure he would have liked an all singing, all dancing version of his brother back from Hell but he was never going to get that, even if Cas had been the one to raise him. He knew that. Dean would still have needed help to get back on his feet. Help that Sam hadn't been able to give him the last time, his head too hell bent on killing Lillith and Dean to stubborn to admit that he needed it.

He tuned them out and just sat there, waiting for Dean to open his eyes.

----

"You cannot leave him like this." Cas was flapping more than he would be if his wings were unfurled.

Gabriel tried to hide the smile of amusement brought on by the knowledge that Dean had gotten under the skin of every angel whose path he has crossed. Even the great and all knowing Michael had been equally impressed and annoyed by him.

He brought his attention back to the conversation. "I did what I set out to do Castiel, he's free. That was what you wanted wasn't it, what he wanted? He is no worse off than he would have been if you had been the one to rescue him. What happens next is, for the first time, up to them. And don't preach to me about doing my job either, because this is a favour not a task I was set. I seem to remember that you left him his memory when you pulled him free last time, you could easily have erased that too, not let him remember but you didn't."

Castiel bristled at the accusation. "I had orders and that was different, that was thoughts and feelings, you have left him with the physical effects as well. It could take months for him to get over them."

"Then that's what it'll take Castiel. I have other things to attend to."

Castiel slapped his arms down against his side as the other angel vanished, dropping his head down and sighing.

---

"How is he?" Castiel asked as he walked through, taking the seat opposite Sam.

"Still sleeping." Sam looked up. "You know I just realised something. I never thanked you for saving him the first time. I don't think either of us did, not properly." Sam smiled. "So, thank you."

"You are welcome, but I was just doing my job, following orders."

"Sometimes that is the hardest thing of all to do. You didn't just follow orders though Cas, you threw you towel into the ring with him." He looked down at his brother. "You were there for him when I wasn't."

They sat quietly after that, the angel not sure the right way to respond to Sam's words and Sam with nothing else to say.

---

Dean woke with a raging thirst, feeling as if his inside were on fire. He moaned softly, tried to ride out the feeling but it refused to go away. _What now?_, his mind asked as he dredged up the courage to open his eyes and face another round of this game that they were playing. Instead of bright white light though, they opened to reveal a room that he knew as well as he did the workings of the Impala. Confusion filled him.

"Dean?" Sam's voice drew his head round, his neck protesting at the movement. His brother was sitting on a chair next to where he was lying, looking tired and strung out.

Sam saw the pain in Dean's eyes when he finally opened them that had him doubting his ability to heal it. It was so far down that he felt that he'd never reach it and pull it from his brother. And then Dean blinked and it was gone, brought under control by the master of deception.

Sam didn't ask how Dean was feeling, not wanting to hear the statutory, 'I'm fine' when he knew that his brother was far from that. Instead he hid the pain that was his own and smiled at Dean. "Welcome back."

" 's real?" Dean licked at his lips but his tongue felt thick and desert dry.

"It's real. Gabriel got you out. Do you remember?" Sam wet his brother lips with some ice chips before he let a few slip inside.

To Dean the cool, wet feeling was almost a euphoric one. It all slid back into place, Alastair, Gabriel, everything. Dean closed his eyes. "Yeah." He lay for a second or two and then opened them again, still fighting not to show how badly he was hurting inside, but knowing that Sam could see in anyway. "Long?"

"Two days in, two days out. Think you could eat something? Bobby keeps making a broth, hoping that you'd smell it and wake up. Be a shame to waste it?"

Dean took one look at his brother's face and knew that no wasn't going to be allowed as an option. "Try."

Sam's smile split his face. "I'll be back in a second." He disappeared out the room and Dean went to close his eyes when Castiel spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Dean slowly rolled his head round to face him every single, little movement causing a screaming sound that he hoped was only in his head. "S'ok."

Sam was back before the angel could say anything further, a cup in his hands and a Bobby in tow. The older hunter took one look at the angel and Castiel stood and got out his road.

"How you doing kid?" He ran a quick assessment over the hunter in the bed and wasn't sure that he liked what he saw.

Dean just flicked an eye and hoped Bobby would take that as an answer.

"That good? Think you can sit up?" Dean's look said it all. "Ok, I hear you." Moving in he gently slide his arm under Dean and then reached across and did the same at the other side. "I'll lift him," he said to Sam, "then you slide that other pillow under his head, then we'll slide him up a bit so that he can drink some of that broth."

It took a moment or two of maneuvering to get Dean up and into position at the end of which he was sweating and obviously in pain.

"You want something for that?" Bobby questioned getting straight to the point.

"No." Dean didn't know if he was going to be able to swallow the broth, never mind pills.

Sam pulled his chair in closer. "You need a minute?"

"Yeah." Dean's voice was so quiet that his brother had to strain to hear it. They all sat, stood or lay in silence until Dean spoke again. "Ok."

Sam brought the cup over and then hesitated, not sure what to do next. He watched as Dean struggled to lift his arm and then gave up. "Can't."

"It's ok, I'll do it." Slipping his hand behind Dean's head, Sam held the cup up to his lips and let him take small sips, pausing after each one to make sure that Dean was able to swallow the broth before he administered some more. The older brother managed four or five sips before he signalled that he'd had enough, wishing that he could wave off the concerned looks that passed between Sam and Bobby. "Later." He didn't think that his mastery of one word sentences was helping ease their worries any either but it was all that he could manage at the moment.

"We'll make some more in an hour and see how you manage ok?"

" 'k." Dean relaxed back into the pillow and closed his eyes again, hearing the others talking quietly but not really registering anything that they were saying. Sleep overtook him in moments.

**Chapter End Notes:**

Sorry I haven't update my review replies, running off to work, will update when I come home. Mary xx


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Chapter Notes:**

After all the angst a light (ish) little chapter albeit at Dean's expense. Sorry honey!

* * *

"Why can't he lift his arms?" Sam cornered Castiel the minute that they cleared the room.

Castiel paused, thought for a minute about his answer. "Have you ever been really hungry, thought of your favourite food, and your mouth watered?"

Sam shook his head and the angel sighed. "This would be much easier to explain to Dean."

The young hunter huffed. "Get a better example." He should have been careful what he asked for.

"Did you ever think back to the day Dean died, when the hellhounds ripped him apart and all you could do was watch? Could you feel the sadness that was in you at that time, feel the pain that his death caused you?"

"Too good an example." Sam cleared his throat and wiped at his eyes. "Are you talking about sense memory?"

The angel took in the glisten in the younger man's eyes and smiled knowingly. "That is what I mean." He pointed at Sam's face. "At the moment all of Dean's thoughts will be on what has just been done to him in Hell, his body will react to that whether he likes it or not. To it, it will still feel real even though it is just a memory. If he thinks about Alastair skinning him, then he will feel the knife on his skin, feel the pain, just as truly as he did down there. When I raised him last time, I didn't erase his thoughts of Hell but I blocked those feelings filtering through to his body. Gabriel has not. Dean was tortured, his body will feel the physical effects of his soul's suffering. It will ease as time goes on but at this point, he will be in a great deal of pain that no doctor or pill can ease. He will need your help for the littlest of things until his mind starts to get control and force the nightmares back to being just that, nightmares."

Sam was staring at him open-mouthed.

"What?" Castiel moved forward, concern on his face.

"Did you say Alastair? Was my brother back in Hell with that butcher?" Sam's face had paled and the angel rested a gentle hand on his arm.

"Alastair was there. You unfortunately did not kill him. It was Lucifer and him that were overseeing Dean's……confinement." The angel steered away from the torture word, having learnt that paleness on the human face was never a good sign.

Sam proved him right by suddenly dashing off to the main bathroom in Bobby's house, avoiding the one in the room Dean was in and the questions that him loosing part of his lunch might cause. Not that Dean was up to questioning him about anything at that moment. That thought brought back Castiel's words and the rest of his lunch.

Castiel followed at a trot behind him, stopped only by the smell of sickness that found it's way out the wooden door that was part closed in front of him. "Samuel? Are you alright?"

Sam throw open the door and glared at the angel. "It's Sam." With that he headed off back to his brother's room.

----

A few hours later

Dean didn't want to sleep and dream but he didn't want to wake up and live the nightmare either. Other factors forced him awake though.

Sam was sitting in a chair at the bedside reading when he opened his eyes, his brother sensing even from behind the pages of the book that Dean was awake. "How you feeling?," Sam asked as he placed the book down on the bedside table.

"Need up." Dean waited for Sam to move. He didn't.

"You are not getting out of that bed."

"Need to pee," Dean explained breathlessly.

"Oh." Sam looked round the room as if looking for help and his eyes lit on Bobby's stuff that they'd moved out of the way to place Dean in here. "Bobby's got bottles and bedpans." His brother's look could have made Hell freeze over and solve any problems they had left.

"Over. My. Dead. Body." Dean tried valiantly to sit up, almost got his back off the pillow, and fell back.

Sam reached over and pulled the covers free of Dean's legs. He smiled at his brother. "How do you want to do this? I could give you a carry?" He felt the ice forming on his skin as Dean continued to glare at him. "Ok. Ok."

Reaching forward Sam put his arms under Dean's and hauled his brother upright, trying to ignore for now the little gasp of pain that the action brought forth. "Right, I'm going to stand up and take you with me. On three." Sam counted and stood, pulling Dean upright and taking all his brother's weight on his arms. "Think you can walk?"

Dean was still trying to get his breath back from just the effort of getting upright. He had no idea how he was supposed to get to the bathroom, even with Sam's help.

Realising that Dean was struggling Sam stood, waiting until his brother moved his head and looked at him, face pale and sweating. "You sure you want to do this?"

Dean's first thought was no, but he swallowed that down. "Yeah. Need…..to….hurry."

"Great." Sam started backwards, watching his brother's face as they moved, hoping that the discomfort in Dean's features was from the need of where they were going and not caused by how they were getting there. Finally he felt the door behind him. "So, what now genius?"

"Sit."

Sam couldn't resist. "Was that sit?"

"Hurry….up," Dean huffed.

"Oh yeah, sorry." He kicked the door opened and lifted the lid, spinning them and deposited Dean down on the toilet. "Do you think you can…." Sam waved a finger at Dean's pyjama bottoms.

"No." Dean's face was flushed and Sam knew that it wasn't from the exertion of getting this far.

"Promise I won't look," he chuckled as he almost rested his chin of Dean's shoulder and reached down to push the bottoms down.

"Bite…me."

"Such gratitude, I'll give you five minutes, try not to fall off." Sam left Dean to it and wandered out to find Bobby hovering in the bedroom.

"Everythin' ok?"

"Yeah, he needed to go and didn't want to use the bottle."

Bobby's grin was a wide one. "He's a stubborn son of a bitch. Winchester trait. Nice to see a little fight in him though."

Sam laughed "Hold that thought for a day or two when he's complaining and throwing things around because he frustrated."

"Yeah well, as long as he's breathing I'll take what he can give. Think he'll eat?" Bobby lifted the cup that he was holding in his hands.

"I'll check. Better go rescue him." Sam headed back into find Dean resting his head back on the wall, eyes closed. "Hey, hey, hey. No sleeping in here. Let's get you decent and back to bed."

---

Three Days Later

"Think I preferred Hell's form of torture," Dean moaned as Sam helped him sort himself on yet another trip to the bathroom. "At least there I could actually die of embarrassment."

"One, not funny. Two, quit moaning. Three, you'll be on your own feet soon enough. Four, I don't mind."

"Well I do."

"Stop whining!" Sam pulled him up and jumped as he realised Castiel was behind him.

Dean snorted. "Please anyone else want to come and destroy my last strands of dignity?"

"Can I help?" Castiel asked. "What are you both doing in here?"

Dean cracked at that. "I needed to go, but since your buddy decided to leave me like this, I can't go on my own, hence my brother having to invade my personal space."

The angel lifted a hand. "Why did you not say?" He touched Dean's forehead and caught Sam as he fell forward when Dean's weight lifted from him.

Dean's voice carried through to them. "Why didn't we think of that?"

Sam walked out and went over to sort Dean's bedclothes, his brother still unable to grip anything. "I still have to help you dress and undress though," he said as he sat down next to him on the bed.

"Yeah, but at least now I'm only gonna need to pee for the next week." Sam snorted and then both brother's dissolved into giggles. Dean rested against Sam, putting his hand to his chest to ease the pain that the laughter caused, but enjoying the feeling of laughing freely with his brother too much too try and stop.

The angel just looked on in confusion.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N a little bit more h/c. The boys are trying to find a middle ground.

Thanks for the reviews. I'm behind again!!!! mary xx

* * *

Sam had been in full-on mother hen mode for over a week and Dean's progress had been slow and frustrating.

The two combined had the older Winchester chewing on his last straw.

He was still tired all the time. He was up and finally some what mobile but he still couldn't grip anything properly with his hands and it was killing him. He was reduced to wearing sweats as he couldn't fasten jeans. Sam had to do almost everything for him, from cutting up his food to feeding him it. Food therefore had now become sandwiches and burgers as he could at least hold these long enough to eat something without Sam having to intervene.

He'd escaped Hell but felt that he had been dropped somewhere much worse at times, Sam's care. His brother meant well and Dean was grateful, he was, for every single thing that Sam had done for him in the past week, but it was getting to the smothering stage. And it was driving him slowly crazy. All of the things he did to relax he couldn't do, eat, fix the car, drink a beer, clean the guns, sex. He was either too clumsy or too damn tired to last the pace.

All that on top of the fact that Dean had never had anyone having to or trying to attend to his every need before and he hated having to surrender control. Even to Sam.

He was standing in the kitchen contemplating just what he was capable of making to eat when his brother arrived back with an arm full of messages.

"Hey, your up!" Sam greeted him cheerfully and dumped the bags on the counter. "Want me to make you something to eat?"

Dean frowned. "I was thinking that I'd try to make myself something."

"Really? I can do it, it's no problem." Sam was picking things out of the bags, gripping them and putting them into the fridge or the cupboards. Dean suddenly found himself full of an unfounded jealousy that his brother took for granted being able to do the things which Dean couldn't for now.

"You alright?" Sam had somehow moved to in front of him and Dean realised that he had zoned out for a minute.

"Yeah." He needed out now, before he took his annoyance at his lack of ability out on the one person that didn't deserve it. "I need some air. Think I'm gonna go see if there's anything that I can do for Bobby."

Sam watched his brother walk away, his gait still awkward and slow and he sighed. He knew that he was driving Dean crazy just as much as his brother not being properly mobile was or being unable to do the little things like grip a fork or hold a beer was. He was trying to back off but that was at odds with his promise to himself to help Dean, physical help being the only thing that his brother would allow because he didn't have an option. Dean sure as hell wasn't going to sit down and talk.

Sam stopped, holding onto the counter and watching his brother lean on the car that Bobby was working on. He grabbed his purchase from the bottom of the bag and cleaned it. Then he emptied a cold beer into it and grabbed a bottle for himself and Bobby before heading outside.

Dean turned as he heard the old screen door screech on its hinges and watched as his brother walked towards him, juggling a large glass and two bottles.

"Here." Sam thrust the glass at his brother. "Thought this might be easier and more manly for you than me holding the bottle or you drinking beer through a straw."

Dean reached his hand out, slipping his fingers through the large handle on the old style beer glass, and took it from Sam. "Where the heck did you get that?"

"Bought it in the old junk shop down on the main street." He held out the beer to Bobby and they settled down on three crates, the sun warm on their backs.

Dean still had to use two hands to steady the glass, one cupping its base as he lifted it, but the smile that creased his face when he'd managed a drink made Sam's three hour search to find a glass that Dean could actually hold, worthwhile. "You like?"

"It's awesome." Dean's grin widened, his earlier annoyance at his brother forgotten. "Thank you." It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things but he'd take any victory he could get at the moment.

"Why'd you think you're still havin' so much trouble with your hands?" Bobby turned to look at both boys as he spoke.

"That's easy," Dean grumbled. "Because as much as I'm grateful to him, Gabriel is a twisted son of a bitch that likes to mess with people." He put down the glass and held out his hands. "Me not being able to use these properly is his way of doing that."

"Cas said it would be more with you remembering what happened to you in Hell." Sam suddenly piped up. "What did they do to your hands that's causing them to take longer to heal?" He turned to his brother questioningly.

Dean hesitated just to long for Sam not to pick up on it. "I don't know." He tried not to remember the feel of the knife cutting into his flesh, into the bone. Still he flinched at the bolt of pain that ran down into his fingers before he locked the memory down as best he could.

"Right." Sam stood. "You want to help me wash the car?" He changed the subject knowing that Dean wasn't going to tell them anything, had known really before he asked. "I got you something to make it easier," he teased his brother in a direct effect to lighten the mood again.

Dean took the bit and ran with it. "I dread to think."

Sam disappeared to get his other find of the day and Dean slumped back against Bobby's workbench that the crate he was on was up against.

"He's trying to help you know. You need to let him in this time Dean. Don't screw it up again. This is your second chance too, you know?" Bobby patted his shoulder and stood, heading back to the car he'd been fixing.

When Sam returned he was carrying a bucket and wash mitts. "They're lambs wool, so that they don't scratch the paintwork." He gave Dean one and watched as his brother slid it on and held up his hand.

"I look like a Q-tip." Dean moaned with a smile.

Sam laughed. "Just get on with it." He dipped his own one in the water and walked round to start the other side of the car, Dean mirroring his action and starting on his own side.

"Nice idea. Just make sure that you don't miss anything. There will be an inspection later you know."

"God help me, I'm going be out here all day then until it's done to your satisfaction. " Sam flicked some water at his brother's head.

"Don't even go there. I might not be able to lift the bucket, but I'm sure that I can get your head down into it." Dean grinned across the roof and then disappeared down to wash the side.

Walking round Sam dipped his mitt in the water and went to go back to work when his brother's free hand stopped him. Dean's stance screamed uncomfortable and for a second Sam thought that he'd hurt himself.

"They cut them off." Dean dipped the mitt in the water and then turned back to the car. "My hands, they cut them off. I think that's why I'm having problems with them."

Sam stood, too shocked at first to react, watching as his brother crouched down and went back to washing the car.

"I beat the sons of bitches." Dean turned just his head to face Sam. "No way in hell that I'm gonna let them win the end game, this is not how it's always gonna be." His voice broke a little, some small piece of doubt trickling into it. "I'm not gonna let it be."

Sam stepped towards him and Dean turned back to the car. The younger brother crouched down behind his sibling. "Your right except for one thing."

Dean turned slightly not facing Sam but putting his brother into his eye line. "One thing?"

Sam swallowed down all the pain he felt at his brother's statement and nodded. "_We're_ not gonna let it be." With that he slapped Dean's shoulder with the hand covered in the wash mitt, soaking him and breaking the moment.

"You bitch!" Dean used the car to get to his feet as his brother danced away from him. "You're lucky that I don't have my grove on, 'cos if I did, your head and the bucket would have a date."

Sam dipped his glove back in the water and soaked Dean for the second time.

"That's it. It's on." He started after his brother, cursing Sam's long legs and his own limitations. After two trips of the junk yard trying to catch him, he gave up, slumping against the car in defeat just as Sam came dancing back.

"That all you got?" Sam asked in jest.

"Yeah. I'm beat." Dean grinned up at him. "Guess you need to finish the car up on your own now, smart ass. Help me up."

Sam reached for the hand and then squeaked as Dean hit him full in the face with the soaking wet mitt he had on the other one. The mitt that he'd dipped in the bucket before he'd sat down.

"Son of a bitch." Sam spat the water out as he spoke.

Dean leaned back against the car and laughed. "Payback always is." He slipped the mitt off and started for the house. "Make sure that you don't miss any of her, and no streaks!," he called back. "I'm gonna check you know."

"I know."

Sam set about his task content that he had just made some progress on another one.


	16. Chapter 16

Sam raised his head at the banging noises that were coming from the kitchen and sighed, shaking his head at the scene in front of him. His brother was in the kitchen having a fight with a family sized tin of tomato soup and by the sounds of it, the soup was winning.

"God damn sonuvabitch!" The can was tossed into the sink and the can opener that Dean had been trying to use was flung onto the counter.

"You want some help in there?," Sam offered as his brother strode towards him, face dark.

"No, I got it." Dean disappeared into the bedroom and returned with his Bowie knife held between his palms.

Sam felt fear prickling his neck hairs. "What…..are you going to do with that?"

Dean smiled wickedly. "Improvise."

That, thought Sam, had been Dean's word for the last few weeks. Bobby's rooms were now littered with everyday objects that had found new purpose in their lives and that of Dean Winchester.

There was the coat hanger, Sam had been instructed to contort, that Dean used to get button done and his zip up on his jeans. Then there was the steering wheel cover that let his brother get a good enough grip to drive. (Even if he couldn't quite manage yet to turn the key to start or stop the car; the coat hanger had been tried and found wanting.)

Sam's glass and wash mitts had been the beginning of creating a monster. One that worked round it's limitations very ingeniously, with his brother's help, but still a monster nonetheless.

Said monster was now sitting on the kitchen floor, soup can between his legs and the knife poised over it, his hands either side of the hilt, thumbs resting on the top.

"I can open that for you," Sam offered.

"Nope, I got it."

"Dean you going to end up………"

He didn't get to finish as Dean drove the knife down and clean through the top of the can, more soup escaping all over him like a little mini volcano than was probably left in it with the force behind the hit. "A-hah!" Dean called triumphantly, wiggling the knife from side to side to widen the gap. When he was satisfied he stood, wiped and placed the knife on the table and lifted the can from the floor, tipping its contents carefully into a saucepan and placing it on the gas.

"Can you watch that doesn't boil over? I need to change." Dean didn't wait for an answer and Sam just shook his head and did as instructed.

"Next thing that boy needs to learn to make is a mop he can grip." Bobby entered the kitchen, side stepping the little slaughter house puddle on the floor. "He got it open then?"

Sam turned and lifted the Bowie knife. "Oh yeah. He was just making sure that it was dead before he cooked it I think."

Bobby shrugged. "Guess you can't be too careful with soup. Watch you don't burn that now or there'll be hell to pay." He looked in the pot. "And if that is supposed to feed three of us, I suggest you either scoop that up," he pointed to the mess on the floor, "or open another can. Just don't let him see."

Sam rolled his eyes. "I'll cook, you clean." He reached for the cupboard as Bobby fetched the mop.

---

Later

Dean hadn't had a proper nightmare in a few days now but tonight his scream had woken up the whole house. _The first night in weeks that I've left him to get some sleep of his own_, the younger Winchester thought guiltily as he stumbled down the stairs to Bobby's room that Dean was still using.

Castiel had offered earlier to sit with Dean, both men shooing Sam away to catch up on some of the sleep that his brother's restless nights had deprived him of. Tiredness and the comfort of knowing that Dean wouldn't wake up alone had him agreeing. Now he wished he hadn't.

The younger Winchester tried to shout a warning to Castiel as he skidded into the room, but he was just a fraction too late. It was the fact that Dean had managed to curl his fingers into a fist that had caught Sam's eye before he realised that Castiel was reaching to touch his brother's shoulder. The distraction was to the angel's cost.

Castiel turned at Sam's shout, just as the hand touched the hunter. Dean's eyes shot open and his fist came up, connecting solidly with the angel and knocking him on his backside. Dean hauled himself out of bed, disorientated and confused but Sam got there before he could stand. Sliding in between the crumpled heap of angel and the chair he blocked Dean, forcing him to stay seated. "Dean! Dean! Hey, hey, hey, it's me. It's Sam. It's a dream Dean, it's just a dream."

Sam watched as his brother instinctively pulled his hands in close to his chest and tried to move away, still not quite certain what was going on. Sitting down on the chair, Sam held his arms wide. "It's ok. It's me. Dean?" He said his brother's name softer this time, reaching a hand round to the back of Dean's head and gently pulling it down onto his shoulder. "It's me, it was just a dream." His brother tensed just for the briefest time and then relaxed onto Sam, his breath harsh in the quiet of the room. The younger Winchester scowled at the angel as Castiel pulled himself off the floor. "How many times?," he asked softly but with anger in his tone. "Don't touch him until _after_ he wakes up."

Castiel gave Sam a sheepish look. "I forgot. I am sorry." He moved to sit beside Dean on the bed, raising his hand to touch the man's forehead. Sam caught the weight as Dean slumped onto him fully and then gently laid his brother back on the bed.

"There will be no more dreams tonight. Go back to bed Sam, I have him now."

"Look at his hands." Sam pointed out to Castiel. Dean's hands were still curled into fists. "Do you think that he'll still be able to do that when he wakes up?" Sam gently tried to straight out his brother's fingers and failed.

"Let me." Castiel took one of Dean's hand in his and slowly the hunter's hand straightened.

"Thought you couldn't heal his hands?" Sam asked confused.

"It was heating not healing. I warmed it to get the muscles to relax." Castiel took the other one and repeated the process. "Go sleep now Sam, he may need you in the morning."

Sam went to leave but Castiel's voice caused him to pause. "I don't understand why his hands? Out of everything that they must have done to him, why is he fixated on his hands?"

Coming back to sit on the bed Sam lifted his brother's hand into his. "Castiel, Dean's hands are who he is. Everything he is. He'll say more to you with a touch that he'd ever dare tell you. Most of Dean's skill and precision is in his hands, hands that he needs to be able to work with the tools of his trade, to hunt things, to protect people. They're his independence." He turned to Castiel. "Losing a limb is a hunter's worst nightmare. It renders you useless. Look at Bobby. He put a brave face on it but at the end of the day, he couldn't hunt, not the way he wanted to. But Bobby has a fallback, this place. Dean? He has nothing. He's a hunter or he isn't anything, in his mind at least and you can't hunt if you can't grip. Do you get it now?"

Castiel nodded. "Yes Sam. I know what it feels like to have the abilities you rely on, take for granted even, taken from you. _I get it_."

Sam cringed and blushed. "Yeah. You would. Sorry."

The angel turned back to his sleeping brother. "It's late Sam. Go rest. If he needs you I will call."

----

Morning

Sam grabbed a coffee and headed out to where his brother was sitting on the top step of Bobby's porch. Dean slid over and made room for him to sit down.

"Morning." Sam turned his head slightly as he spoke but Dean continued to stare at something off in the distance. " How are feeling?"

"I'm fine, this morning at least." Dean paused and Sam waited to see if he would continue. "That was a bad one."

Sam sipped at his coffee. "I kind of got that."

Dean's face crooked into a little half smile. "Yeah, sorry I woke you."

"Want to talk about it?" Sam asked tentively.

His brother shrugged and took a drink of his own coffee, hiding his face a little too long in the huge mug, another of Sam's finds.

"Well?" Sam pushed gently.

"Nothing much to talk about. Same old, same old. Last night it seemed more real for some reason, that's all. Cas tells me that I punched him, made a fist and everything." Dean pulled a hand away from his mug and tried to curl it. He got half way and had to stop. "Seems it's all in here then." He tapped at his head. "Whatever it is that's stopping me using my hands properly." He gave a wry smile. "That's not good to know."

"You'll get there." Sam reassured.

"When? Next week, next month, next year?" Dean's shoulders slumped just a little.

"I don't know Dean, I wish I did. But I do know something. You will get there."

"You sound so sure."

"That's because I know you. You know now that it isn't anything physical that's stopping you using you hands, so all you got to do is figure out what's screwed up in here." Sam slapped his brother's head playfully.

"Watch the hair." Dean ruffled his hair with the palm of his hand. "I could be old and dead for real before I figure that out." Dean's face was back in the mug but he was grinning behind it now, Sam could hear it in his voice.

"Yeah, well. You said it." He put down his mug and gestured for Dean to do the same. "Give me your hand."

His brother put down the mug but didn't offer out the hand. "Why? You gonna hold my hand and tell me everything will be fine?," he asked snarkily.

"No, but now that I know I can't do any physical damage to your hand….." Sam reached out, grabbed Dean's hand and forced his fingers to curl in. Pain rippled across Dean's features but Sam held the hand in position and asked the question anyway. "That hurt?"

His brother shot him a look. "Like a bitch."

Sam let go and Dean slowly uncurled his fingers, a little look of awe on his face as he managed it.

"Again?"

Dean hesitated and then nodded.

"We're going to keep going until you can't anymore or you can do this on your own. You ok with that?" Sam curled Dean's fingers in and smiled as Dean nodded again even as he bit into his bottom lip to fend off the pain.

Bobby was sitting at his kitchen table, watching the little scene on his porch with a soft smile on his face. "Have to be cruel to be kind, eh Sam?" He asked quietly. "Then again, no pain, no gain is kind of a Winchester motto."

He went back to his book and left them to it.


	17. Chapter 17

Sorry for the huge delay in this one. I wanted to put a chapter in between this one and the last but the muse is a huffy b**ch and refused to let me write it so, after a lot of failed attempts, I didn't. Upside is this is a little longer than the other chapters.

Lots going on at the moment, my life is not my own, (I know how Dean feels.)

* * *

"Just go, I'll be fine."

Sam looked between Bobby and his brother, torn between helping the elder hunter and not leaving Dean alone. "You could come with us?"

Dean folded his arms across his chest and glowered at his younger sibling. "And do what? Sit in the car and crochet? Not that I could even do that! I still can't grip well enough to shoot properly, I'd be a liability. I'm as well staying here."

Bobby tapped his fingers on the back of the chair that he was leaning on. "Some time this week Sam."

"Sam, it's gonna be one night," Dean added.

"You could call Cas…."

"I don't need a damn babysitter!" Dean growled at his brother and then took a deep breath and adjusted his tone. " Look, Bobby can't do this hunt on his own, the search area's too big. Just go would you?"

"You wouldn't just leave me," Sam countered.

"The hell I wouldn't," Dean lied in return. He sighed and put his hands on his brother's shoulders. "I'll call Cas. I promise. Just go before this thing kills someone else." He reached for Sam's jacket, awkwardly picking it up and handing it to him.

"What about your exercises?" Sam still wasn't heading for the door but at least he was shrugging on his jacket.

"I'm sure that Cas is just as equally able to inflict pain on me as you are." He chuckled at the look on his brother's face. "Go! I might not be able to drag you outside but I can still kick your ass out the door." Dean put his hand back on his brother's shoulder and started to back him up.

Sam caved. "Ok. I'm going. Do not forget to call Cas, I mean it."

"Yes mom," Dean muttered under his breath as he waved him off. "You just remember to come back in one piece and I'll remember to call Cas."

Bobby patted Dean on the shoulder on the way by. "We'll call when it's done. You be careful now."

"Took the words," Dean replied. "Watch out for my brother."

"You know I will and I appreciate your concern for _my_ welfare." Bobby quirked his face into a grin.

"Watch your ass too old man. That better?" Dean flicked his eyebrows.

"It'll do. Behave while we're gone." Bobby stepped outside and stopped. "And call the damn angel."

"I said I would, didn't I?"

"You say you'll do a lot of things though Dean…you actually doing them? That's something completely different." Bobby strode down the steps and over to the waiting truck.

----

Dean was still standing on the porch thirty minutes later. He was watching the sky darken, wondering at the speed that night seemed to be falling, when his phone started to vibrate in his shirt pocket. Wrestling it out he rolled his eyes at the caller ID. "Did Sam call you already?"

"Sam did not call me." Castiel's confused tone announced in his ear. "I need to talk to you."

"Well Messrs Dumb and Dee have just left so if you want to swing by here, feel free."

"Dumb and Dee?" The confused tone deepened.

Dean sniggered. "Never mind, take too long to explain angel boy, you on your way or not?"

"I'm here," Castiel said from behind him.

Dean spun on the spot. "I _hate _when you do that! Can't you appear in _front_ of people?"

The angel shrugged. "Sorry, habit. I'll try not to do it again."

"I'd appreciate it, thanks." Dean pocketed his phone and walked inside the angel following in his wake. The hunter crossed over to where his glass that was sitting on the table. Taking a drink he perched his backside down on the edge of the piece of furniture. "So what's up?"

The angel stared at him. "I think we have a problem."

-----

Dean sighed as he looked at the news report that the angel had got him to call up on the laptop screen. "You sure that it's him?"

"I am sure, there is a pattern."

"Would that just be sure, pretty sure or really pretty sure?" Dean questioned without looking up.

"What?"

Dean did look up at that, went to say something and then thought better of it. He shook his head. "Nothing." He went back to concentrating on the screen in front of him, cursing his slow fingers as he searched for anything else that might be related to the report Castiel had found, ignoring the angel as he circled the table. "You're right, there's a patchy trail of incidents, unexplained deaths, and they're leading this way. He's coming for us isn't he?" Dean turned and looked out the window, the reason for the early arrival of darkness finally sliding into place. "Is that him that's doing that?"

"I think that he might be and yes, the darkness heralds his approach."

Dean wiped at his face with his hand. "This is bad, really bad. How the hell did I forget about him?"

"I think you had other priorities, like saving your brother and defeating Lucifer, escaping Hell, getting better," the angel offered in response.

"Well that all might count for nothing if this guy is still on the loose. Damn it." Dean pulled his phone from his pocket and called his brother.

"You alright?" Sam's worried tones sounded almost before the call had finished connecting.

"Christ Sammy, were you sitting with your damn phone in your hand?"

"No."

Dean almost laughed at the lie. "I need you guys to get back here. Forget the hunt."

Sam went from worried to fearful in one easy step. "Why? What is it? Are you ok? I knew we shouldn't have left you on your own. What happened?" Dean could hear Bobby in the background asking what was going on.

" Sam, nothing happened, I'm fine. Cas has found something though. I need you to get your ass back here, it isn't safe."

"Dean…," Sam frowned as the cell reception faded out. "Dean!"

"Sammy! Can you still hear me?" Dean checked the signal strength. It had four bars. "Sam?" He turned to Castiel. "Go get them. Bring them back here. Do you think the panic room will be strong enough to hold this guy off?"

Castiel nodded. "For a while at least. I won't be long."

Dean rounded the table and hunted through the books on Bobby's desk until he found the one that he was looking for. Flipping it open he found the page he needed and started to read.

He hadn't got far when Castiel arrived back with his brother and Bobby. "Wanna tell us what the hell is going on?," the elder hunter asked as he walked round to stand behind Dean, frowning as he saw what the young hunter was looking at. "What did you do now?"

Dean looked up affronted. "Hey, this one, Sam and I had nothing to do with." Castiel went to speak and Dean shushed him with a hand. "Technically, Sam and I had nothing to with this one."

"No? So you guys only raised the sucker that raised him? Technically my ass," Bobby growled as he started to gather the books he'd need to research.

Dean smiled sweetly at him then looked up at his brother who was still waiting to get clued into what the heck was happening. "We forgot about the Horseman. Death." Sam's eyes widened and he when to speak but his brother shrugged off the question. "We'll fill you in downstairs." Standing the elder Winchester headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked putting a restraining hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Car. I need my jacket, or I need something that is in my jacket." He fumbled trying to lift the keys and Sam reached over, plucking them from the table.

"I'll get it. I'll be quicker. You help Bobby." With that he disappeared outside, Dean hesitating, torn between getting them all downstairs and not letting his brother out of his sight.

"Dean!" Bobby's voice solved his dilemma. "Those books ain't walking themselves down the damn stairs boy!"

"Ok, ok." He slid an armful off the table and double timed it down to the basement, baulking only a little at the memories that slammed him as he stepped into the chamber. Not looking at the bed that still lay in the middle of the floor, he tossed the books onto it and headed back upstairs.

Sam wasn't in the room when he reached Bobby's kitchen so Dean headed outside, switching on the yard lights and moving out into the collection of twisted wrecks, round to where he knew the Impala was sitting. He stopped short when he was confronted with the sight of his brother on the ground, a tall figure leaning over him.

"Hey! Get away from him!" Dean started forward again, realising that he was unarmed but not really caring. Sam was down. That was all that mattered.

"Well hello Dean." The figure smiled at him, causing chills to tighten his spine even from a distance. "Thought your brother would have put up a better fight than that but then you did have him robbed of his demon blood so it isn't surprising that he folded so easily. Bad move on your part Dean."

The horseman stepped towards him and Dean stopped, side stepping to try and get round it and to Sam. He spared his brother a quick glance. "What did you do to him?"

"Just broke him for now Dean, I wanted you here to see the kill shot." It somehow got back between them, moving fast.

"Leave him alone." Dean reached for it's arm, caught it and spun it back to face him. "If you want someone, take me."

It laughed in his face. "So noble Dean. So protective of your brother." It's eyes turned cold. "I know all about little brothers, I have three, wait…." It hooked his shirt with it's hand and pulled him in close. "I did have three. Then you killed one. Then your brother killed another." It poked him in the chest. "And then you sent Lucifer back to Hell before he could raise my last one."

"Life sucks, what can I say." Dean tried to pull back but he was held tight in it's grip.

"I'm very angry with you Dean." The eyes flashed red, and Dean shivered. "So I'm going to do to you what you did to me. Eye for an eye. Only fair, don't you agree? You took my brother, so I'm going to take yours."

"Over my dead body." Dean brought his head forward, smashing it has hard into the thing's face as he could, not having the time to savour the moment as it let go and cursed in agony. He rounded it and hooked his hands under Sam's arms, hauling his brother back and away, knowing that they weren't going to outrun it but needing to try anyway. He was aware of the Horseman standing and starting after them and he called out for Castiel, hoping that the angel would hear him. The rush of wings told him that for once his prayers had been answered, then he felt the touch to his forehead and the tug as he was yanked out of the space he was in and unceremoniously dumped in front of the panic room door.

"I can't cross in." Castiel stepped back and let Bobby help Dean lift his brother into safety. "I will try to find a way to get him to leave." He handed Dean his cell phone. "If you need me call."

Dean sat down on the floor beside his brother, hand going to Sam's neck automatically to check his pulse.

"Is he ok? You want to put him on the bed?" Bobby knelt down beside Dean.

"I don't know and no. Can you just get me a pillow?" Dean slid along the floor, dragging Sam with him. On reaching the wall he sagged against it, taking the pillow from Bobby and resting it over his legs, pulling Sam up and onto it. "I gotcha, Sammy." He rested his hand back down on Sam's neck and leant back, closing his eyes and sighing.

"I'll see if I can't find a way to get rid of him." Bobby excused himself and sat down over at the desk. "We're safe for now in here, he can't get in."

He brushed Sam's hair off his face with his free hand, not liking the colour of his brother's skin or the way that Sam's pulse was racing underneath the fingers of his other hand. Dean snorted, looking at Bobby with fear clearly etched on his face. "Yeah, but we can't get out,......and I think my brother's dying."

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

Hey folks, next little bit, sorry it's a short A to B chapter but I should be back soon with more. Thanks for all the reviews, I'm sorry that I haven't replied but I've got a lot on at work at the moment (and my son is doing a school project on the PC) but I will get them done, always get an hour or two at the weekend to myself. Mary xx

* * *

It had been only an hour but Dean felt that he had been trapped inside the room for weeks.

Confined spaces and him didn't agree.

Dean liked the open road and the freedom to move when he had to. He hated the feeling of being trapped, tried not to think what it would have had been like for Sam, being in here for days, albeit mostly unaware of his surroundings.

_Like now_, the little internal voice helpfully supplied.

"Don't start," he mumbled under his breath.

"You say something?" Bobby looked over and took in the grey face of his companion. "Kid, I don't know about your brother but you don't look so good."

"I'm fine." Dean shuffled under his brother, his legs numb from the weight that lay over them. Sam was at right angles to him now, head resting on the pillow on his brother's lap and Dean's arm resting lightly across his chest, a comfort and a way of checking that Sam was still breathing.

_D__ead weight, just like the soul that's tucked up inside you, _the voice sounded again.

Bobby caught the look that crossed Dean's face. "What?"

"He's here." Dean looked towards the door, hearing the laugh that circled inside his head.

_How__'s Sammy doing there Dean? Hope you're not touching him._

Dean's other hand that had been carding absently through his brother's hair stilled. "Why?"

_Just asking. _"What's he saying?"

"One at a time." Dean turned to Bobby. "He's asking if I'm touching Sam."

"Why?"

"That was my question, he chose not to answer."

_Not afraid you m__ight catch something there Dean? I mean, you don't know where your brother has been? And Bobby's right, you don't look so good._

"Like you can see me." He waved Bobby off. "Not talking to you."

Bobby crossed over and knelt beside Dean. "Maybe we should put him up on the bed, you've been sitting on that cold floor to long anyway." Knocking Dean's arm out of the way, Bobby slipped his arms under Sam's shoulders and sat him up. "Think you can stand and get his feet?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute." Dean used the wall, and got up, stomping his feet to try and clear the pins and needles that attacked him the minute he did.

Once he was sure that he could stand he walked round, cleared the books from the bed and turned to get his brother's feet, trying to ignore the little stream of chatter that was building in his head.

_Want me to sing Dean? Lighten the mood? Maybe see if I can drive you crazy from it before you get out of your tin can? How's it feel to be the rat in the trap there Dean? How are the hands by the way? Still giving you trouble? How's Bobby doing? Found anything useful yet? No? Well he is getting old, senility is a bitch, or so I've heard. Maybe I should whistle? Yeah. Lets do that._

Between them they got Sam settled and then Dean slumped into the chair, letting his head fall into his hands once he had, a low moan escaping him as the noise filled his head. "Any headache tablets?"

Bobby checked Sam over and then came and pushed a bottle of water into Dean's hand. "You got it?" He nodded and Bobby let go and put the tablets in the palm of Dean's other hand. "Drink it all. You hungry?"

"Nah." Dean flipped the tablets into his mouth and then drunk the water greedily, not realising how thirsty he was until he started.

"You sure that you're ok, 'cos Sleeping Beauty here's got better colour than you do and your breathing ain't sounding too good." Bobby took the empty bottle and tossed it in the bin, raising his other hand and touching Dean's forehead. His skin was clammy.

"It this room, it's too warm." Dean pulled at the collar of his t-shirt as if it was choking him. "That plus the fact that now, I've got a horseman yakking in my head."

"What's he saying?" Bobby asked an interested look on his face.

"The usual. Sam's dying, I'm dying, the world's ending. Yadda, yadda. He's also whistling, but I'll be damned if it's a tune." Dean slid his chair nearer his brother and checked Sam's pulse again. "We need to get him outta here Bobby."

"How? And where too?"

"I don't know and I don't know. I can't just sit here any longer. I don't know what the sonuvabitch did to him but I know that he ain't gonna get any better lying in here." Dean wiped at his face, digging the heel of his hand into his forehead in a vain effort to deaden the noise inside. He fished his phone out of his shirt pocket. "Will this work in here?"

Bobby smiled. "No, but this one will. Cabling for it runs through the walls." He handed Dean a cell phone that was attached to an outlet. The younger hunter just raised an eyebrow and then dialled.

It was answered on the first ring but Dean didn't even let Castiel speak. "Any joy in getting rid of our guest or getting us out of here?"

"Not yet and you are all safer where you are than you would be anywhere else Dean. It is best to stay there until I can rid us of our problem."

"How long is that gonna take Cas? Sam's slipping, I think he needs a hospital and I'm going crazy. I need to get out of here and do something other than sit on my ass!" the hunter snapped at his angelic friend.

"I will try to find Gabriel. He would be able to at least hold the horseman off until we get Sam clear, protect us when we go."

"Then why are you still talking to me and not doing it?"

Bobby snatched the phone from Dean's hand. "We'd appreciate any help that you can give us Cas," he glowered at Dean's snort. "Just call us on this number when you've got something ok?"

"I will."

Bobby hung up the phone, resisted the urge to smack Dean up side his head and walking back to the table without a word, sat down to read again.

----

"Wake up." Bobby jerked at the sound of the voice, taking a minute to realise that it was Dean.

"What'sup?" The hunter slurred as he tried to bring his brain back online.

"Sam's worse and I think the horseman's gone." Dean's face swam into focus and Bobby frowned again at the greyness of it.

"Jesus boy, you look like Hell warmed over." Bobby stood and pushed Dean down into the chair, reaching for and handing the bottle of water to him. "Drink that. I'll check on your brother. You sure he's gone?"

Dean sipped at the water, talking in between as Bobby's skilled hands checked Sam's pulse and breathing. "My head's gone quiet, kinda feels like I've gone deaf. Figure if Cas pulls Sam to the hospital now, it won't be able to find us."

"You gonna call him?" Bobby frowned at the heat under his hand as he touched Sam's forehead.

"That's why I woke you, he's outside already. I just couldn't lift Sam on my own."

Bobby let the worry that admission caused him to slip by. "Ok, let's get him up." They took an arm each and hauled Sam to his feet, the older man not mentioning that he seemed to be baring most of the weight. "You sure that he ain't trying just to bait us out?"

"No, but I don't care. Sam needs help and he isn't getting it here."

Bobby watched as Dean reached over and picked Ruby's knife up from the table, grimacing as he closed his hand round the hilt, crying out as his fingers tightened on it, albeit loosely.

The older hunter pushed his cap back on his head and put a hand on the door handle. "Ok then, once more into the breach, dear friends, once more. Let's do this."

.


	19. Chapter 19

Wasn't gonna post today, was gonna do my replies to your reviews, but what the heck! Figured you'd like this more! It's done so I thought I give you a little treat of two chaps in as many days, might be a little delay though on the next one but I want this story finished before S5 get back on the air so you're wait may not be that long! Mary x Little swearing in this!!

There are question that need answers, they will come, promise!

* * *

Dean stepped to the side to let the angel help them pull Sam from the panic room. "Did you find Gabriel?"

Castiel got a grip on Sam's arm and freed him from his brother's clutches. "I did not. Yet." He put a supporting hand on the younger Winchester's back and lifted Sam out the doorway, almost dragging Bobby through after him. "We need to go."

"Did you get rid of him or did he leave?" Dean lent back against the door, trying to stop the room spinning from the exertion of lifting his brother across to the door.

Castiel shook his head. "He left. Which means…"

"…that he knows we'll come out to get Sam help. Can you take us somewhere other than the local hospital? Slow him down a bit." Dean pulled in a long, slow breath and was relieved to find the room finally settled.

"Yes. Let us go." Castiel raised his hand but Dean stopped him.

"Do your mojo on his ribs first." He pointed a finger at Bobby. "If Gabriel can track us through him then maybe so can the horseman."

Castiel obliged and Dean managed a little smile at Bobby's hiss of pain. "I'd love to see the face of the guy that does it, if we ever need an autopsy done when we die."

Bobby snorted. "Yeah, knowing you, I would bet against you being able to, can we go now?"

Castiel didn't wait for Dean's reply he just let Sam rest against his chest, Bobby steadying him there, and touched a hand to the heads of his other two companions.

---

They were standing in the carpark of St Matthew's hospital. Dean had no idea where that was and he was glad, if the horseman was still routing around in his skull he wasn't going to find anything that would give him a major jump start on their location. His insides heaved and he fought the urge to just throw up where he stood.

"You ok kid?" A hand touched his back and he turned into the worried face of Bobby.

"I'll be better when they can tell me what's up with my brother."

"Better put that knife somewhere where they won't see it," Bobby warned as they headed for the entrance to the ER.

"Can you…" Dean started to ask but Castiel reached out his hand.

"I'll keep it." The hunter handed it over and watched the angel slip it into his pocket.

"You're Dean and Sam Singer, Sam collapsed and we brought him here," Bobby advised as the exchange happened. "Let's get Sam inside."

Castiel lifted the younger Winchester as if he was no weight at all and manoeuvred him through the doors, Bobby calling for help as they did. An orderly appeared with a gurney and Sam was lowered gently onto it and wheeled away.

The elder hunter realised as they walked to the desk that the ER was completely empty. "Quiet night, good find Cas."

The angel ignored his pointed stare. "It's early here, hence the quiet. Although I may had moved us up the queue slightly before I came for Sam."

Bobby smirked at that as he came to a stop behind Dean at the desk.

"I want to go with him," Dean asked of the girl there.

"Are you family?" She looked at the face of the man in front of her thinking that on a better day he would be handsome. Just now he was drawn and ill looking. "Are you alright?"

"I'm…."The words dried on his lips. "Actually, I don't feel too great either." The sway was only partly faked as he caught the desk and she stood, called through the doors for help. The same orderly that took Sam through appeared again and took Dean's arm, leading him through to a row of seats behind the double door.

Bobby grinned at the move wondering how long Dean would stay there before he started to look for his brother. He turned to the woman. "They're my nephews. I can fill in any forms that you need me to."

Smiling she handed him a clipboard.

---

The orderly and one of the doctors came over to Dean, the doctor sliding into the seat next to him. "Hi," she flipped the paperwork in front of her. Dean Singer?"

He nodded.

"I'm Dr. Susan Gregg. Can you tell me what happened with your friend?"

"Brother," Dean corrected her. "He was fine yesterday, we were just visiting friends and he complained of feeling unwell. I got him to lie down for a while but when he wouldn't wake, we brought him here."

"What about you?"

"I'm just tired."

The doctor raised an eyebrow at that. "I'll be the judge of that, let's get you up and into a room, get you looked over."

"I want to see my brother." It sounded like a plea even to his ears.

"Dr Anderson is with him, checking him over. Let me take a few tests and then I'll see about getting you in to see him or get you an update on him. Ok?" Dean went to argue but she stopped him. "Quicker I get these done, quicker you get to find out how he is."

The hunter said nothing, just stood and let the orderly guide him into the room behind her. Once there he was asked to get up on the bed, which he did, knowing that she was watching him. He followed her line of sight to his hands.

"It's arthritis," he covered quickly. "Runs in the family, Sam got skipped, lucky me."

She took his hands, turning them in hers. "Arthritis eh?"

"I haven't had it very long," he answered, pulling his hands free and tucking them in under his arms. "You gonna do these tests or what?"

"You on any medication?" She unlocked the drawers at the side of the bed and started to rifle through them, pulling out the stuff that she needed.

"No."

"Ok then, I'll take some blood and we can run through any symptoms that you've been having while I do."

Dean politely answered yes or no to all the questions fired at him, his mind though on his brother lying in one of the other rooms. After what felt like forever she stopped poking, writing and asking and handed him a cup. "Can you give me a sample?"

"If you'll give me a minute."

"I'll go get these started, the bathroom is in the corner. Will you manage alright on your own, I can get Gary to come in and help you?" She laughed at the face he made. "I'll take that as a no. Ok, I'll be back in a little while and I'll check on your brother for you."

"Thanks." Dean managed a smile which she returned and then waited until she had left before trying to get back up. He had no idea why he was feeling so crappy, tried not to think about the horseman's word about touching Sam. Getting to his feet he eyed the bathroom door on the far wall, locked onto his target and started for it at a slow gait. It felt like it took forever to get there but get there he did, took care of business and then worked his way back to the bed. Leaving the sample on the cabinet be turned and headed for the door, faster this time, his need to know about his brother urging him on. Stopping to check outside he stepped into the empty corridor and worked his way round the other rooms and cubicles. It took only took a couple of minutes to find Sam but at the end of it Dean was sweating.

His brother was in the room alone as Dean stepped inside and crossed to the bed, dropping on the side of it as soon as he got there. He passed a glance at the monitors above Sam's head and took in the pulse ox on his finger and the cannula under his nose. "Hey Sammy, you hanging in there little bro?" He passed a hand over his sibling's head, pushing his unruly mop of hair off his forehead.

"Thought I told you to stay in the other room and that I'd come and update you on your brother?" Dr. Gregg came over to stand next to him, reaching for Sam's chart as she did.

"Sorry Doc, guess my hearing must be going to, or maybe it's my memory." He half smiled at her and turned back to his brother. "So hit me with it? What's wrong with him?"

The doctor stood quietly for a moment, looking at the charts but Dean could tell she wasn't really reading them, just gathering herself to tell him what he thought he probably already knew.

"We're not really sure what is going on, Sam's organs are slowly shutting down, one by one and we can't tell why. We're going to take him for some more tests and a scan. See if we can't get to the bottom of it."

Dean didn't look up at her, just let out a long weary sigh. "And if you can't get to the bottom of it, what happens then? Do I get to just sit and watch my brother die?"

"Hopefully it won't come to that, but if things don't improve we'll need to put him on life support soon. We're going to move him up to the ICU shortly."

"Ok." It was all Dean could manage to say.

"You really need to come back and lie down, I'm not happy with some of your own results, I'd like to run some more tests on you too."

Dean shrugged. "Whatever, but if you lose my brother doc, I really don't care if you can't help me. I want to sit with Sam for just now, you can run whatever the hell you like later."

"Mr Singer…"

"I said, later." She was being dismissed.

"At least sit in the chair before you fall off that bed." She slid the chair round to him and forced him off the bed and into it. "You've got fifteen minutes, then I'm coming back and I'm not taking no for an answer."

Dean waited until she had gone and then slid Sam's hand between his own, curling his fingers and tightening his grip around it. "See, still doing my exercises. Just like you taught me to. Fighting this just like you wanted me too. Come on Sam, fight back too. Please."

The awkward cough behind him caused him to turn to find Bobby standing there. "Hey kid. Doc tells me he ain't doing so well." Bobby walked over and stood behind Dean, resting a hand down on his shoulder. "Sam's tough and Cas has gone to see if he can either find Gabriel or a solution for us. How are you feeling?"

"Been better Bobby."

The elder Winchester looked absolutely spent to Bobby's eyes. "Dean, go and lie down for a while, you look all in. I'll sit with Sam, call you if we need you for anything."

"You mean if he slips further? If my brother dies? Again? Because of me?" The anger filling him somehow made him feel better, so he channelled it. "I need some air." He squeezed his brother's hand as tightly as he could and then lent over and whispered quietly to Sam. "Don't go anywhere, do you hear me?" He wasn't sure if he felt or imagined his brother's fingers tightening for the briefest of seconds on his. "I mean it." He let go and stood, turning too fast and almost loosing his balance, righting himself before Bobby could help. "I got it."

"Not happy about you going outside on your own, specially when we don't know where the horseman is."

Dean turned, anger in his eyes. "Screw the horseman. Let him come. I don't care." Pushing past his friend Dean headed for the door, getting out into the corridor, shuffling along it before anyone could stop him. He could feel bile rising in his throat, not sure if it was worry or sickness that was trying to bring him down. He didn't let it. Spotting a staff entrance that was lying open Dean stepped through it, avoided the smoker and headed over to where there was a little bench, dropping onto it, drawing in the fresh air like it was life itself. It cleared his head, eased the pain in his chest a little. He looked up, spotted the church across the road, and felt the anger fill him again.

Gathering up every little resource of strength that he had he walked over to it, pushed open the door and walked up to the altar. Getting there he dropped to his knees and let his head fall back on his shoulders, eyes fixed on the ornate roof above.

"I swear, to you actually, if you don't get your ass down here and fix my brother, I'll make the apocalypse look like a Sunday school picnic. I'll go down and dig your wayward son outta Hell my fucking self and let him in. I'll help him to destroy the hosts of heaven. Hell, I'll let him destroy Heaven itself if that's what he wants. I'll fucking burn your house down. **Do you hear me?** I am not asking anymore, I am not pleading anymore. I'm promising you, I will bring about the end of days if you don't save him, because if my world has to end then I don't give a damn any longer about anyone else."

He forced himself to his feet and left, heading back over to the hospital, the fire burning in him fuelling the needs of his body for now. Slipping back inside he headed for Sam's room. He stepped through, frowning at the fact that Bobby wasn't inside. He walked up, dropped back in the chair and went to reach for his brother's hand when the door opened and the nurse came in. She smiled, sympathy written on her face and he wanted to scream at her that he didn't need it, that neither he nor his brother were dying tonight. Instead he smiled back. "Where's my uncle?"

"He got a phone call, stepped outside to take it." She walked round beside him, checked the monitors. "We're about to move him, I'll need you to wait outside while we get him ready."

Dean stood, legs only just obeying him this time, adrenaline rush spent, as he headed for the door.

"That's odd, I was sure that I removed all your brother's jewellery when he came in."

Dean turned and watched as the nurse raised his brother's hand and pulled at the ring on it, dread working it's way up his spine as she failed to get it to slide off. He knew that ring, hell he'd sliced it off the finger that wore it himself.

"That's not his ring."

The nurse looked up and by Dean at the source of the voice, fear on her face as she looked at the wicked grin on the face of the man that was speaking.

"It's my brother's. And I've got another one that's looking for a home too."

The nurse dropped to the floor, Dean not sure if she'd fainted or if Death had done something to her. An arm tightened around his neck, cutting off his air. "Hold out your hand." Dean tried to fight it, couldn't. He raised his hand up and watched as the horseman reached for it. In a last show of defiance he started to curl his fingers in but he didn't get far, pain and the tightening of the choke hold stopping him. Death forced Famine's ring onto his finger and then let go, pushing Dean to the floor. "Now, all I have to do is summon my brothers back from where you two put them and together we can raise our last sibling."

"Thought they were dead?" Dean tugged at the finger as he spoke, trying and failing to dislodge it.

"Did I say that? Guess I lied. They need a vessel though to get back on this plain, what better ones than the brothers that sent them off it in the first place?"

"You need us as vessels? What is it with everybody trying to get up inside me and my brother?" Dean could feel his strength returning, knew what was causing it, could feel it flowing from the ring. He used it while he still could. "Don't you need my permission? Sam's permission?"

Death laughed. "Do I look like an angel? I don't need anyone's permission to do anything. Me or my brothers. I want, I take. Or kill." He put a hand on Dean's head, forcing him to stay kneeling. "And I really wanted to kill you but this, this is so much better, and, it's going to hurt." Death smiled at him. "Like a bitch."

.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N**

Firstly, thank you all again for the reviews, I am so behind with replies that it isn't funny but I want this finished before Thursday so for now, its write, write, write. I don't want to trip on any ideas of what the show is doing and then get stuck before I finish. So apologies.

Ok. I sat down, plot in mind, notes on the desk. I started to write and then three hours later I'm sitting at the screen, looking at my notes and asking the muse, what the ….? This is not what I sat down with in mind but somehow, this is what I wrote. I know where its going, but it so isn't what I intended when I started this. I blame the muse.

So, ensure that your hands are inside the carriage, we are all passengers on this one and we are going for a ride! Hang on.

* * *

Castiel appeared beside him as Bobby closed the phone. "What do you mean that he's gone for help? Who's help would a friggin' archangel need?"

"I don't know, and he didn't stop to enlighten me." Castiel stopped, cocking his head to one side. "Where are Sam and Dean?"

"Still inside."

"We need to find them." The angel started forward into the waiting area not pausing to see if the elder hunter was still following or not.

Bobby slowed him with a hand. "He's here, ain't he?"

Castiel turned, eyebrows raised in wonder. "You can feel it too?"

"Feel what? Do I look like a freakin' psychic?" Bobby gestured towards the reception desk. "The girl's missing and it too quiet, even for here." The hunter strode forward, pushing open the doors to the ER treatment rooms. An outside door further up from where they were standing was open and the doctor that had been dealing with Dean was lying on the floor just to the side. Bobby paused briefly to check her pulse. "She's dead." Biting down on the panic that wanted rein over him he turned to his angelic companion. "Think you can take him on your own?"

The angel shook his head. "No, not without Heaven's assistance, but perhaps I can hold him off long enough for Gabriel to come with help."

"That's not reassuring, not at all. Give me the knife." Bobby held out a hand as he moved forward, checking the rooms to find the right one.

"It may not be of use." The angel advised, passing it to him as he spoke.

"I know but it's better than spit." He drew up outside a door and motioned to Castiel. Nodding his understanding the angel pushed round him and into the room.

They stopped short at the sight in front of them. Sam was still lying on the bed, Dean was down on the floor and the Horseman was hovering over him.

"Get away from him," Bobby growled as he stepped forward, unsure what he was going to do but needing to get closer to his fallen friend.

"Or you'll do what?," the Horseman laughed cruelly. "Tickle me with your little pig sticker? _You _can't kill Death Mr Singer," it sneered at him.

"No, _he_ can't, but he can watch while we do." Three heads turned to take in the forms that now stood at the window. Gabriel smiled a slow knowing smile at them and moved closer, his two companions remaining where they were. Back lit from behind by the sun that lit the room it was hard to see their faces but Bobby would have known them anywhere.

He squinted and then drew in a sharp breath. "What the….?"

The Horseman threw the angel an incredulous look and then snapped his fingers. "I've got back up on the way too." Dean jerked at his feet and Sam moaned low from the bed, shifting and starting to sit up. "And if that's all you've got then I really feel sorry for you."

"Death, Death, Death. Didn't your mother ever teach you not to judge a book by its cover? I'll see you your horsemen and I'll raise you this…." Gabriel turned to his companions. "Boys."

Bobby's mouth dropped open as the two heads rose in unison, an older version of the Winchesters staring at him with eyes that shone with a heavenly fire. "Dean told God to get his ass down here and help."

Gabriel smirked at the Horseman.

"So he did."

---

_20__20_

_Sam approached the house with the ease of someone following a well practised routine, stopping to check the mail box and then trotting up the stairs to the porch. He put a hand to the handle and pushed open the door, stepping through and dropping the letters he'd picked up on the table just inside the hallway__. Following the hallway and the smell of cooking down to the kitchen he walked through the archway and smiled as the woman at the stove turned to look at him, her own returning smile fleeting. _

"_Morning sis, where is he?" Sam walked over to her and dropped a kiss to the woman's forehead. "Something smells good." He stepped back and took a seat at the table, casting a glance over the paper as he did._

"_Hey Sam. He's out back, a guy showed up, said he was an old friend." The worried tone in her voice made him look up._

"_What's wrong?" Old senses kicked in as he turned to look out across his brother's garden. Dean was sitting facing him, talking to a man, his face darker than Sam had seen it in a long time._

"_Dean didn't seem happy to see him." She paused, wiped her hands on a dish towel. "Something's not right Sam."_

_He gave her his best reassuring smile and stood again. "Hey, I'll go check on them ok? Don't worry." _

_Sam's long legs made short work of his brother's backyard, Dean looking up as the screen door banged shut, not smiling as he watched his brother come to him. _

_The man turned and Sam stopped short. "You. What do you want?"_

_Gabriel smiled at the younger Winchester. "I need your and your brother's help. There's a problem that we need to take care of or all this, it doesn't happen."_

_Sam folded his arms. "Problem?"_

"_Come on Sam, you know what he's talking about." Dean locked eyes with his brother. "We knew it was us that fixed it, we just didn't know how, guess it's time to fill in the blanks."_

"_Then I'll go on my own, it doesn't need both of us." Sam turned to the angel. "Does it?"_

_The angel shrugged. "I don't know. This is the first time for me remember. I'm Gabriel from 2010 not 2020. Only you and your brother were there before."_

"_Yes but our 2010 versions were out of it. We don't know how it went down." Sam argued. "Not all of it at least." _

"_Sam." Dean's voice was calm when it interrupted. "We knew that this was coming and I'm not letting you go on your own."_

"_What about Karen? And the kids? I can do this on my own, you should stay here." _

_Dean shook his head. "If we don't do this, if this doesn't work, then all this changes anyway. We do this together or not at all Sam. Stronger as a team, remember?"_

_Sam huffed and Dean laughed. "I'll take that as a yes." He looked back over to Gabriel. "I need a minute."_

"_The horseman is already there Dean. Make it a quick one?"_

_Dean headed back into the house, through the now empty kitchen and upstairs to his children's bedrooms. He could hear Karen and Samantha giggling in the other room so he stepped into his son's room first. _

"_Robert?" He gently shook his slumbering son._

_Sleepy eyes opened, a soft smile greeting him. "Daddy? It time to get up?"_

_Dean lifted the four year old from the bed and hugged him to him. "Not yet sport but I gotta go somewhere with Uncle Sammy and I just wanted to say bye before I left. You gonna look after your mom and Sammy while I'm away?"_

_The little boy smiled again, causing big dimples to appear on the little face, hazel eyes shining with his father's trust in him. "Yes daddy."_

"_Good boy." He settled his son back down. "You go back to sleep, mommy'll wake you when it's time to get up." Dean kissed the little boy's head earning a squeak of protest. _

"_Daddy!"_

"_Sorry." Dean held up his hands in surrender. "Forgot you're a big boy now." He tucked the covers round his child and headed through to the other room._

_Karen turned as he came in, a worried smile on her face. "Everything ok?"_

"_Yeah, just an old friend that needs a hand. I need to go, but it shouldn't take long." He crossed to her and pulled her into a hug. She let the fact go that he held her a bit tighter and a bit longer than usual, tried to ignore the way he breathed her in as if trying to imprint the feel and the smell of her to him. _

"_Is this it,__" she asked. "The thing that you told me you would have to go do?"_

_He nodded his reply, brushed her hair back from her neck and brushed his lips to it. "I'll be back before you know it."_

_Their little girl gurgled in her cot and he let Karen go, stepping back and over t__o lift his six month old daughter up and hold her to him. The irony of his children's ages wasn't lost on him, history threatening to repeat itself save for the fact that Karen wasn't John. If the worst was to happen, if he saved his younger self only to die doing it, if this was when and how it all ended then she would put her children first. Of that he was sure. _

"_You be good for mommy ok? No throwing up or peeing on her." He tickled the little girl and she giggled again, squirming in his arms before she settled back down, tucking her head under his chin and her thumb in her mouth. _

_Karen watched as he repeated the actions of memorising his daughter and she came forward, drawing them both into a hug. "Be careful Dean." _

_He put Samantha back into the cot and took Karen into his arms again. "I will but if something happens, I need you to let it go, to just get on with your life, promise me you will."_

_She reached up and kissed him, a gentle, loving kiss, tears beginning to shine in her eyes.. "You know I will, somehow. I promise. I'll see you later." It wasn't a question._

_He kissed her again at that. "Count on it. __I need to go." He stepped back and almost ran from the room._

_In the garden Sam and Gabriel were awaiting his return. "You ready now?," the angel asked as Dean joined them._

"_You can still stay Dean," Sam offered._

"_No, let's just get this over with."_

_Gabriel raised both his hands. "We need to make one little pit stop, I've got someone that wants to hitch a ride." His smile was cryptic. _

_Upstairs Karen __moved over to the window, watching as Dean joined the others, as he turned to look up and smile at her. _

_Then she blinked and they were gone. _

End Notes

This is now very AU, not that it wasn't before. Muse gets what it wants and it decided that if Zach can try and get the guys to do what he wants by flinging them into the future then Gabriel and God have just as much right to bring them back to help themselves. Seemed fitting that God would use both boys to try and deal with the final piece of the puzzle that needs solved, the Horsemen. Hope you like. More soon, Mary x


	21. Chapter 21

Not exactly sure that this did what I wanted it to but I hope that it all makes sense and that you like. Only one/two chapters left. (Where have I heard that before :) )

Thanks again for all the reviews, if I get this finished for Thursday it will be a miracle! Mary xx

* * *

"You're telling me that God saw fit to dirty his hands in this little fight between us Horsemen and his favoured bloodline?" Death's eyes narrowed. "If that's the case, then why aren't we all dead yet? One look, one touch would be enough, wouldn't it?"

"Not exactly. Dean asked for God's help to save his brother. This, is his help." He waved at the two silent figures behind him. "He gave them the power to help themselves."

"He made them archangels." Realisation shone in Death's voice. "Now that is cheating."

"Not quite but close enough as makes no difference, besides it's God's game, he can do what he damn well likes." Gabriel shrugged in a what can you do way.

"Surely there must be rules though, even for deities?" Death smiled as Sam stood and moved to get his back, Dean standing and shifting to his side. "What is the after world coming to?"

The archangel snorted. "You should talk of rules." Gabriel nodded in the direction of Death's two shadows. "And ah – hello? What part of his game, his rules, don't you get?"

"Ok then. He wants to play, have at. You kill my brothers though and you will kill the Winchesters." He looked at Gabriel's companions. "And that would kill your faux angels too. If these two die then your angels will simply cease to exist."

"Not if we don't take the rings off first." Gabriel shot him a look that almost asked if he thought he was stupid.

Death smiled slyly. "You did your homework, I'm impressed. Still doesn't mean that you can beat us."

The archangel shrugged. "We'll take our chances. There's one good piece of news though." He smiled at Death. "You're fair game. Oh and just so no one chickens out here, I'm going to lock down the room."

FutureDean turned to face Castiel. "Get the hunter out of here," he commanded and the angel did, one touch to Bobby's forehead and they both vanished, Ruby's knife clattering to the floor as Bobby dropped it before disappearing.

Gabriel looked to Death. "Well then, where shall we begin?"

"How about we start this the old fashioned way?" Death felled Gabriel with the first blow, his fist connecting with the archangel's face and dropping him where he stood. The Dean that Gabriel had brought back with him stepped forward, and returned the favour, the punch lifting the Horseman from his feet and slamming him back into the wall. He turned his attention back to Gabriel just as presentSam rushed him, swinging his fist back as he did. Dean ducked and landed a roundhouse right in his brother's stomach, knocking the air from him and the body to the ground. He caught Death moving in the corner of his eye, turning to meet him even as FutureSam stepped by him to tackle his younger self. Dean caught Death's punch in mid swing, using the arm to pull the Horseman in and head butt him. Staggering back it stared coldly at him. "That was a very ungodly thing to do," it complained as blood ran from the broken appendage.

FutureDean smiled and moved in. "Well, God may have provided the engine for this ship, but I'm still the captain." He went to punch him again but his own arm was caught this time, his other self staring at him as he turned, its eyes cold and detached. "Which one are you?" he asked it.

"Famine."

"Figures. Already had your paws inside me." He grinned unpleasantly at his mirror image. "So my brother is War?"

Famine nodded, a smug look on his face. "Seemed fitting, he is carrying all that rage inside of him." A knee to the groin doubled Dean up and Death took advantage to twist his arm up his back and force his head down, another knee, this time to the face dropping him to the floor. His head was pulled up to stare again at his own features. "You kill me, you kill you," it sneered at him.

"Dead inside already, remember?," he smirked. "I'm gonna take great pleasure in using God's help to toast your balls like marshmallows. Even if mine go with them." He felt the weight move from his back as Gabriel levelled the playing field for him, pulling Death off and fighting to get a hand to his head. Dean watched Death wrestle Gabriel off and then he drew himself back to the task at hand. Reaching up he twisted the knee of Famine's host and brought him down on the floor beside him.

"I'm serving you your eviction notice!" The light sparked in his eyes again and he rolled them to get on top, pinning Famine underneath him. The Horseman wrenched both hands free as Dean's hand closed in on his forehead reaching to stop his destruction, trying to force himself free. Dean's weight kept him pinned. "Hoped you enjoyed your stay, don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out."

Dean dropped his hand to the Horseman's head, frowning as the creature wearing his face started to laugh. "What's so damned funny?" He felt it though, something was wrong, he was fading as the Horseman did. Turning his head quickly he realised why. War had gotten free of his brother and had pulled the ring from Famine's finger.

"Kill me and you're dead," it laughed up at him not seeming to be aware that Dean has already started to exorcise him, that now he had him trapped somewhere between the body on the floor and wherever was his next stop, Dean couldn't put him back.

Sam grabbed War, pulling him down, dropping a hand to his head with a feral growl, red smoke curling instantly from the mouth of his younger self.

Gabriel finished his dispatch of Death, the pale smoke clearing as he turned. Dropping to his knees and sliding Gabriel came to a halt next to Dean.

"The ring's off."

"Stop, you're killing you!" Gabriel reached to pull Dean's hand free and then froze. The white smoke he realised was already starting to curl from the mouth of the body on the floor and he knew that it was too late.

"I can't." There was no panic in Dean's voice just a cold resignation. They'd won, but he'd lost. "I can't stop it and I can't finish it." He turned to Gabriel. "Do it."

They exchanged a look as the archangel placed his hand through Dean's own and down onto the head of his younger self. "You sure?," Gabriel asked.

"Have to, no choice."

Gabriel finished the task, drawing the Horseman out and shielding his eyes with his hand as the room filled with black smoke followed by a blinding light then grew darker once more. When the archangel moved his hand only the two now prone bodies of Sam Winchester, the Dean his other hand was still resting on, and himself were still in the room. Rocking back on his heels he slid his hand from Dean's forehead to his neck, already knowing the answer he was going to find but still having to check anyway.

He would have called the feeling that welled up on him sorrow if he had known what it was.

* * *

A/N thoughts behind the rings. War's host was already dead so he disappeared when they cut the ring off, the car is a 'I am so not going there' area! lol. Sam killed Famine, so I just went, for this story, with the host being dead too. Just so you get where I am coming from if not where this is heading! Mary xx


	22. Chapter 22

A/N Ok still with me? Last chapter was a tad confusing, too many Sams and Deans (not that I'd complain at double Winchesters!) Body count for those who asked - PresentSam - alive but out of it, Future Sam - same. PresentDean - dead (for now) which means of course FutureDean at this moment doesn't exist. Slightly (I hope) less confusing chapter and then a little revelation at the end. Nearly there but I think I missed my deadline! Damn it!

Thanks as always for the reviews. A little maimed Sam in this - just so you know.

* * *

"What the hell happened?" Bobby's voice filled the room as he pushed his way back in, Castiel trailing in his wake.

"The Horsemen are gone." Gabriel was sitting on the end of the far bed, Dean lying out behind him. He stood and dropped the two rings into the hunter's hands. "Famine's ring fell off before we could get him out of Dean. Dean's dead. I tried to fix it but it's not working."

Bobby narrowed his eyes as Gabriel refused to meet his stare. "Didn't try very hard, did ya?" He pushed the archangel out of his way, reaching the bedside and stopping as he looked at his fallen friend. "Damn it to hell kid, not again." He crushed the rings in hand and turned. "I thought that your God was looking after them, that he had their backs this time. So where is he? Why isn't he fixing this?"

Gabriel walked to the window. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Bobby started forward. "You don't know? What kinda answer is that? These boys have done everything that they were supposed to, maybe not the way that they were suppose to, but still. So why don't they get the rewards they deserve rather than this?" He waved at the beds to emphasis his point. "What kinda God do you guys answer to? Did he just use them to get the job done?"

It was Castiel that spoke. "Disobedience is always punished."

Gabriel and Bobby turned to Castiel, Bobby asking the question. "What the heck has that gotta do with anything?"

"Dean was supposed to say yes to Michael." Castiel dropped his eyes to the floor. "He didn't do as the angels requested. Maybe God was displease after all."

"But he stopped the apocalypse!" Bobby was shouting now.

"And he was demanding of God's help and attention." Gabriel added. "He threaten the end of days." The archangel looked out of the window at the darkening sky. "Requested only that God save his brother."

"So Sam lives 'cos that's all that Dean asked?" Bobby's eyes were wide with disbelief.

Gabriel nodded. "God answered Dean's prayer, he helped him save his brother. Far as he is concerned his work here is done."

Bobby's face darkened. "Will he smite me down if I tell you what I think of that crock of shit?! You brought Dean back to life before, do it now!"

"I can't." Gabriel side stepped the hunter as he reached for him. "It is not God's will."

"Since when did you care about God's will?"

"If I do this, then I will be hunted down and taken back. I won't go back."

"So it's all about saving your own ass? Freakin' coward!" Bobby swung at the angel but Gabriel caught his hand, gently pulling the hunter to him. "I owed Dean. I rescued him from Hell. That is as far as I am willing to go."

Bobby turned on Castiel. "What about you? You still an impotent son of a bitch or can you do anything about this?"

"I am still cut off from Heaven, if that is what you mean. I cannot help." The angel looked over at Dean. "Even thought it wounds me deeply." He turned his eyes to Gabriel. "Brother please?"

"No way." Gabriel held up his hands. "Not with the big guy watching me so closely now. If he had wanted Dean alive, Dean would be alive. You know what they would do to me. I'm sorry Castiel, I like the guy, I really do, but I won't do this."

Bobby lifted his cap and scratched at his head. "There has gotta be a way to fix this, and I'm gonna find it. With or without God's help." He glowered at Gabriel. "Or yours!" The hunter turned to look at the two Sam's lying top to tail on the other bed. "So how do we wake up sleeping beauty here, 'cos right now I could do with some none angelic assistance, the kind that don't come with strings attached."

Castiel looked at Gabriel. "We have to get the ring off, then Sam will awaken."

Gabriel nodded his agreement.

"Care to enlighten me as to how?" Bobby snarked at them.

The angels exchanged a look. "Only a Horseman can remove the ring from a host," Castiel offered in a low voice.

"So if you take the ring off and exorcise it you die, but if you don't take the ring off and exorcise it then you can't get the ring off anyway? So will Sam wake up eventually or what?"

"He'll only wake up once the ring is removed," the angel's answered in unison.

"Jesus Christ……" Bobby looked down at the floor and hated the ideas that formed in his mind. Dean would be proud of him he thought. "Gabriel, is the room unlocked now? Can we get these guys outta here?"

"Yes."

"Ok. I want you to take Dean and this Sam," he pointed at Gabriel and then the Sam that he had brought back with him, "back to my place." Stooping to pick Ruby's knife off the floor he moved over next to his Sam. "I want you," he gestured to Castiel this time, "to take us to another hospital, the minute I do this. One where all the doctors ain't dead."

Castiel looked at the knife and then at Bobby. "You aren't going to……"

"You guys said the ring needs to come off, if I can't take it off the finger, well, then that kinda only leaves me one option." He rested the blade against Sam's hand. "I take if I cut it off after the Horseman is gone, Sam ain't just gonna disappear?"

"No," Gabriel confirmed. "The Horseman is already gone, Sam will be safe."

"Will he wake up?" Bobby queried, the blade hovering over Sam's right ring finger.

"Eventually."

Bobby death stared the angel again. "Define eventually?"

"Two, maybe three days, once his system is clear of the Horseman's influence."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Great another detox. Least you're gonna be out for this one Sammy." He lent forward. "I'm sorry, but I don't have a choice." He sliced cleanly through the skin and bone and picked up the ring and the finger. "Let's go. We need to get this bleeding stopped."

Before Castiel could move, the other Sam started to stir.

"Well I'll take that as a good sign," Bobby said, moving over and lifting the hand of the other Sam, checking that the finger was missing on that one too.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!"

Bobby reached out a calming hand. "It's Bobby, Sam. It's ok, the Horsemen are gone."

Sam's eyes swung to met him. "Did we get them?"

"We got 'em. Now all we gotta do is get your present versions finger sown up and you boys will be fine." The older hunter gestured to his hand. "I'm sorry about that by the way, couldn't be avoided."

Sam looked down at his hand. "What do you mean?"

"Cutting off your finger here changed the future, took yours too."

"I never had my finger. I woke up at yours after all this went down, it was gone. Dean told me that you'd cut it off, that you didn't have a choice."

Three sets of eyes swivelled his way. "Dean told you?"

"Yeah he was there when I came round." Sam stopped. "Where is Dean?" He looked between them. "Where is he?" Pushing himself up he turned and caught sight of the body on the next bed. "No." He moved over, took Dean's hand, confusion in his eyes. "No. Dean was there, when I woke up. He was there."

Bobby touched his shoulder. "Well then," he said feeling hope finally rising in him, "we must find a way to save him somehow. You go with Gabriel and my Dean. Cas and I need to get the other you seen to."

Sam nodded and turned to give Gabriel access to his forehead.

When they were gone Castiel picked the other Sam up and touched Bobby's head. Seconds later the room was empty.

----

"I need some help here!" Bobby called as Castiel, Sam and him literally appeared in front of the startled receptionist. "My friend cut his finger off in an hunting accident."

Gathering herself the woman called through and Sam was taken from Castiel's arms and hurried through the doors. What seemed like only moments later a young intern strode back through and stopped at the receptionist. "Who brought in the finger guy?"

Bobby stood. "That would've been me."

"Do you have the digit?," the young man asked hopefully.

"Sorry son I don't," Bobby answered. "We must have dropped it in all the panic, what with him passing out and that." Bobby touched a hand to his head in a performance worthy of an Oscar. "All that blood, it was horrible, ain't never seen anything like it."

The intern backed off. "Ok, so I'll just go tell the doctor. He'll be out to speak to you shortly." He disappeared back through the doors and Bobby turned to Castiel.

"I need you to find someone for me."

----

LATER

"Americans. You are all bloody crazy you know that. I've made more deals over here in a year than I did in England in a decade and as for that Scottish lot, bastards wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire. Here though, you guys all seem to want to sell your souls at the drop of a damned hat, or a skip cap." he flicked his eyebrows at Bobby's head gear. "It's not even for something for yourself. I don't get it."

"And you gonna make the damn deal or not?" Bobby crossed his arms and scowled at the demon.

"Sure you and your boy aren't related, because you're both impatient gits."

"Demons talk too much, anyone every tell you that?"

"Yeah," Crowley leant in. "John Winchester actually."

"How do you know John?" Bobby mistrust of the man in front of him grew but he needed his help, had no option but to do this.

"We had a chat." Crowley answered cryptically. "So, you sure that you don't want the ten?" Crowley studied his nails as he spoke, a bore expression on his face.

"Dean'll know. Just let's get this done."

"I can make it look like natural causes?"

Bobby wavered. "No, he'll still know." He paused." When the time comes you can make look like I just dropped dead?"

"Heart attack do? Your boy'll never know what you did for him."

The hunter nodded. "That'll do nicely. So how do we seal this?"

Crowley looked up. "With a kiss of course, though you were a hunter?" He stepped forward. "Pucker up old man."

* * *

In case any fellows Scots are reading this, come on you know it's true! lol


	23. Chapter 23

A/N I did it, I did it! *Does happy dance* Here is the final chapter and before the show airs in the US! WooHoo!

This is a longer one and just wraps up who knows what and how. A little surprise for Dean at the end.

Hope you enjoyed, thank you loads for the reviews, I will get round to replying now! There is another story on the way, one that is half posted on another site and that I kind of abandoned for this one. Pesky muse!

Thanks again folks, until next time. :)

* * *

It took presentSam a few minutes to recognise where he was. The back room at Bobby's. He sat up slowly, unsure of how he'd got there, his last clear memory of going to get Dean's jacket from the car, the Horseman, his brother's voice calling him. Then a fleeting glimpse of a hospital room, Dean on the floor, Gabriel beside him and then nothing.

"Dean!" He sat up, panic filling him as he did, until a familiar face appeared round the door.

"Though you were never gonna wake up." Dean walked in and Sam frowned, memories mixed in his head now.

"You died." He blurted it out before he could stop himself and his brother frowned at him.

Dean gave him a confused look. "No, I got knocked out is all."

"You sure? I thought," Sam raised his bandaged hand and stopped. "What the…." He looked up at his brother. "What the hell happened to my hand?"

Dean moved over and sat down on the bed. "They couldn't get the ring off."

"Ring?"

"Death put War's ring on you, they couldn't get it off."

"Wait so how did they…?" Realisation dawned in Sam's eyes. "They didn't!"

"I'm sorry. There wasn't any other way and you wouldn't have ever woken up again with it on."

"Did you have a ring on?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

"Yet you're awake and have all your appendages." Sam huffed.

A half smile crept across his brother's face at that. "The ring fell off my hand as I, the other I that is, was exorcising Famine. You still had yours on when your other half got rid of War. Seems you need a Horseman or a knife to get it off, and since we'd dispatched all the Horseman…..well, I'm sorry dude."

A little nagging piece of knowledge that Dean's words summoned floated at the back of Sam's mind but he couldn't reach in far enough to get it. He let it go for now, latching onto the most obvious thing instead. "Wait, the other I, I meaning you?"

"Using those college smarts eh, little brother? Yeah, I meaning me. Gabriel brought the you and me from 2020 back to help us fight the Horseman, seems we were souped up superheroes, swooped in and saved the day." Dean smiled. "And you got dad's grey hair."

"They still here?" Sam asked distractedly while he stared at his wrapped hand again. "They really cut it off?" He looked up. "Wait, my hair's grey! I'd only be 37! That sucks."

"Don't it?" Dean laughed outright this time. "They're with Castiel, haven't really said much to me, think they're frightened that if they do then they'll screw up their future, our future. It's weird though, I mean the guy is me but he's so not me. Dude is way to happy and touchy feely to be a Winchester, well this Winchester at least." He poked himself in the chest and then lifted his brother's hand. "And yeah, like I said, I'm sorry."

"So what happened? Last thing I remember clearly is going out to the car to get your jacket and then boom, I woke up here."

"We took you to the hospital and Death followed us, he got the ring on me and I woke up here. Not any more clued in on what happened than you are. Seems it's need to know and we don't so they ain't talking." Dean sounded as frustrated as Sam was beginning to feel.

"Can you get me some water?" he asked his brother, needing a minute alone to take in the fact that he was missing a body part and several days.

"Sure, you hungry?" Dean asked hopefully.

"Maybe later." Sam waited until his brother was gone and then started to unwind the bandage that was mummifying his hand. Once he'd got it free he just sat and stared at the space where his finger should have been.

"You'll get used to it. Can even use it to scare the crap out of your nephew when he gets here." Sam looked up as the older version of himself walked in and sat down on the bed, handing him the glass of water. "I don't even notice it anymore."

They sat there, each examining the other until presentSam spoke, the question really just more for breaking the silence than any real need to know. "Do we still hunt?"

"Occasionally. Dean doesn't like to though, doesn't really want to leave his family, so I hunt with Rufus when he needs me."

"Really? Dean doesn't actively seek out things to kill anymore?" His lips curled into a smile as his other half chuckled.

"No, he has two monsters of his own, a wife, two businesses and a brother to look after. His priorities have kind of changed."

"And us?"

"We run this place. Own half of it to."

"Bobby sold me part of the salvage yard?"

His future half shook his head. "No, he didn't sell it to us."

"Are you saying that Bobby…how did die?"

"Heart attack. It was quick. I…We found him." Sam knew that look, there was something the future version of himself wasn't telling and he didn't know if he wanted to push that door open. So he didn't.

"Strange, kind of thought that Bobby would live forever." Sam in the bed smiled sadly. "When did it happen?"

"About five years ago now, or from now, on our birthday, shocking I know."

Sam in the bed rolled his eyes. "Can we just get that date removed from the calendar or something? What is it with people dying on that day?"

"They do, don't they? Still something good happened that day to balance it up, Dean's boy Robert was born, same year Bobby died, in fact, later on in the afternoon. Karen was two days early, I was hoping Robert would get a day of his own and not have to share our _lucky_ day."

"Karen?" Sam asked confused.

"Your sister-in-law. Wait until you meet her, you're going to love her. She's a pistol, got our brother well and truly licked." They both smiled at that. "He's changed and all for the good, never seen him so happy. Makes me happy too." He stopped and coughed. "Still a belligerent son of a bitch though when he puts his mind to it."

"Nice to know that some things will never change."

"And that some will?"

Sam in the bed smiled. "That too."

-------

Bobby was tinkering with a car when the dark shadow crossed over the doorway. Pausing from his task he looked over and smiled as the older version of Dean Winchester walked in and picked up a spanner wrench. "Need a hand?"

"Still know you're way about a car then?" Bobby grinned.

"My hands still bother me, but I like to keep my hand in now and again. I have to really since I own a car garage and a part share in a salvage place." Dean's eye were cloaked, hiding his emotions, voice a study in neutrality.

"Really? Did good for yourself then?" The older hunter moved away, uncomfortable under Dean's stare. "What?"

"I know what you did. I always had my suspicions, but now, I know," Dean answered, idly tapping the wrench on the grill of the car. "You shouldn't have done that."

Bobby coughed and moved back under the hood. "I ain't got any idea what you're talking about."

Dean grabbed his arm and pulled him out. "The salvage yard's this one. You left it to Sam and me in your will. The will you'll make two days from now. You're dead in the future, but then you already knew that you would be." The younger man crossed to the bench, put down the wrench and lent on it. "I admit the five year thing threw me, and the heart attack and then with the baby being born I just didn't get enough time to think about it. I'm right though, don't try and deny it. Master of denial here, remember? I died in that hospital room. You made a deal. You brought me back."

"Maybe it was Gabriel that saved your ass?"

"No. It wasn't. It all fits, I can see it now. It was you."

The older hunter went to deny it again and then saw the look in his friend's eye and knew the jig was up. He sighed, turning and wiping his hands. "Yeah, I made a deal. I asked for five years so that you wouldn't twig to the fact and the heart attack was Crowley's idea, guess it worked then?" He grinned at his companion.

"It worked. Although Sam's has now officially stopped celebrating his birthday, says it's jinxed, he celebrates it on the day after now. Although we still celebrate Robert's on the right day."

"Damn it, I forgot that it was Sam's birthday. Christ, he's died on it, you've bought the farm twice now on it and then I'm gonna croak on it too, no wonder he don't want to celebrate it." He paused. "Who's Robert?"

Dean's smiled proudly. "My son. Robert John Winchester."

Bobby raised his eyebrow. "You named your kid after me and your daddy?"

Dean grinned happily. "Oh yeah, cursed him with your name more like."

He got punched for that. "Ain't nothing unlucky about my name, now with the Winchester on the end of it that might change." Warmth radiated from the smile on the older hunter's face. "So you got yourself a family kid, congrats. I'm real glad about that. Real glad. Woman must be a saint though, putting up with you."

"Hey, I ain't like that anymore."

"She taught you the errors of your ways? That I would have liked to seen."

"That part you do get to see, that's if the future is still as it was, but I kinda get the feeling it is, since I still have this." He pulled out a photo from his wallet and handed it over. There was a dark haired woman kneeling in front of a Xmas tree in it, a baby on the floor before her and a little boy sitting x-crossed legged behind them, beaming at the camera. "Always wished that you had got to see the kids, guess now you have."

"Jesus, it's a mini Sam. Guess God did hate you after all."

Dean snorted his amusement at that. "Gave me my brother to look after all over again, fix the mistakes I made with him. Do it right this time." He wiped a hand over his face and then smiled again. "I got my revenge on my brother for all the crap he's pulled on me." Dean tapped the photo. "The little girl's mine too, her name's Samantha but everybody calls her Sammy."

Bobby threw back his head and laughed at that one. "I bet your brother loved you for that!" He patted Dean's shoulder. "You gotta a nice family there Dean. I always wanted to see you boys settled. What about Sam? He got rugrats?"

"Nah, Sam runs this place. I couldn't." Dean bit at his lip and turned away, wiping at his face again. "It didn't feel right, you know, you not being here."

The silence was heavy for a moment before Bobby broke it. "Hey. I chose to do what I did. Just like you did when you did it for your brother."

"It's just….." Dean stopped, cast his eyes upward and then sighed deeply. "You don't know what it's like Bobby. I…it's….."

"Dean, this….," he held up the picture, "makes it worth it. No matter what they do to me down there when I get there, I'll always know now that my sacrifice was worth something. I'm old Dean." He waved off the protest. "I am, and my life was finished a long time ago. I ain't doing more here than going through the motions." Bobby saw it as Dean flinched at the words but he keep going. "I get that Hell will be awful and that it could be forever but I'll live with the hope that your daddy and you both got rescued, both survived it, and seeing as how I'm downright brilliant and a damn sight more resourceful than the pair of you idjits put together, somehow, someday, I might get out too. Until then, I'll just have to suck it up."

Dean choked out a laugh. "If anyone can, it'd be you."

Bobby touched his arm. "Don't tell him though."

"Tell who? Sam? I think he already knows, always was too smart for his own good."

"No, him, you….the other you. God this is confusing. He won't handle it well." The laugh stopped him. "What's so damned funny?"

"You giving me advice on handling me."

"Habit of a lifetime, sue me."

Dean shook his head. "I won't. Tell him or sue you," he clarified. "You're right, 2010 me, didn't really handle anything well, this isn't something that I need to know. Can't stop it now if I did, not without doing something stupid." He looked down at the picture Bobby had handed back to him. "I don't do stupid anymore Bobby, apart from coming back for this but I knew that I had no choice with this." He tucked the picture safely away. "I'll be gone soon anyway, Gabriel said that he would be back in a hour or so. So, whatever we find out about what happened these last few days, we find out about it from you. Turns out that poker face of yours, it's better than I thought it was."

"Master of the bullshit, that's me." Bobby smiled again.

Dean stepped back towards him, hesitation in his movement, eyes dropping to his hands. "You don't know what you did for me, for once in my sorry existence I have something that I want to go back for, something to live for. You gave me that and I'll never forget you for it." He pulled Bobby into a quick hug. "I still miss you every damn day." With that Dean muttered a thank you, and then walked out leaving the old hunter smiling through his tears.

-----

It was strange, getting a hug from yourself but this person knew, in a way that no other person ever could just how Dean felt inside, he got him, hell he was him. "So, we make it to 2020 at least. That's a comforting thought."

"Yeah, we do."

"So is this it? Is it finally all over?"

His other half smiled wryly. "Dean, it's never over. You should know that, it gets easier though, and that dream that you thought that you never get." He looked over at Sam and quietly pulled out the picture. "It's there for the taking, you just have to be brave enough to take the risk."

Dean took the picture and studied the little family in it. His little family. That thought warmed his heart in a way that he had never felt before. "Hell that's me, ain't it. Risk taker?"

"Yeah , but this risk is one that you're taking for yourself Dean and if you fall, it's gonna be hard and brutal, but you know what?"

"What?

"You ain't fell yet, and the way you'll feel when you're me? It'll take your breath away." He lent in to his present counterpart. "She wakes you up every morning with a kiss and a smile that makes you so happy that it hurts. Who knew that pain could feel this good eh?"

Dean looked at the picture in his hand, tried to imagine what it would be like to have someone love him, have a home, a family.

"What's she like?"

"Apple pie and ice cream. Sprinkled with peanut M&Ms."

Dean laughed at that. "She's that good huh?" He ran a finger over the person in the picture. "Can you tell me how I meet her?"

"I shouldn't." His other half debated with himself for a second or two and then shrugged. "What the hell….she rear-ended the car."

Wide eyes met laughing ones. "And I still married her?"

"It's love Dean. Real, honest, kick you in the gut, love." His lip quirked at the side. "You still made her pay to get it fixed though."

Their laughter drew the others attention back to them and they watched as Sam came over and touched the futureWinchester's arm. "Time to go, you've got a birthday boy waiting on you."

Both boys stepped forward and hugged Bobby one last time, much to his embarrassment and his version of the boys' amusement. "You boys got soft in your old age." He pushed them off. "Still damn proud of you both though." He coughed. "Now git, you got lives to be getting back to." He didn't look at either of them just muttered something about work to do and left.

Sam and Dean turned to their future selves.

The two Sams shook hands and stepped back to let the two Deans shake as well.

"Well, thanks for coming back and saving our asses." PresentDean held out a hand and grip the hand of his other self, pulling him into a half hug and smacking his shoulder. "Say hi to the missus from me."

His other half laughed. "I will. Sam." He nodded in presentSam's direction and then stepped back. "Enjoy the journey Dean. I sure as hell did."

-----

_EPILOGUE_

Dean's heart was troubled, thoughts of Bobby never far from his mind especially for some reason when he held his son, watched him slumber. The thought that Robert was here, he was here, because of Bobby ate at him, and dreams of Bobby burning in Hell for them rode his dreams at night. His inaction to save his friend weighed on his soul.

* * *

Dean was sitting in the rocking chair in Robert's room, his young five year son sitting on his lap, half sleeping, lulled by the motion and the steady reassuring beat of his father's heart.

It was the familiar rustle that brought Dean's head up, turning it to the side, excepting to see Castiel or Gabriel. "Whatever you want, the answer's no," he said quietly as he did. "Crowley?" He looked round, confusion leeching into the lines on his face. "I thought I heard…..why are you here?"

"Been watching you Dean, and I got to say, I don't like what I'm seeing." Crowley tapped his head. "Or the thoughts in your head." He ran a hand down the curtains as he stood. "Got something to tell you that I thought you should know."

"Really? How about starting with, what are you?"

"You know what I am. I do crossroads deals." Crowley perched back on the window ledge, the sky dark and brooding behind him.

"That's who you are, not what? I heard the wings. Are you another damned angel?" Dean glared at him, trying to keep his voice down and not rouse his son.

"Funny you should use the words damned and angel in the same sentence when you're talking about me."

Dean frowned. "You're a fallen angel? How did you end up as a crossroads demon?"

"I never said I was a fallen angel or a demon for that matter, Dean."

"Yeah, you did!" Robert shifted in his arms as Dean's voice rose. "Can we not do this here, can't this wait until I settle my son before you give me your earth shattering revelation, or whatever you want to tell me."

"I said that?" Crowley shook his head. "You must have misunderstood me, moron."

"You said that if Lucifer killed mankind, WE were next, plural, meaning demons, meaning you!" Dean hissed quietly.

Crowley cocked his head. "I did, didn't I? Let's see, my father was the Devil and my mother was a fully fledged, bonafied angel. So what does that make me?"

"A bastard with daddy issues?" Dean offered and Crowley chuckled low in his throat.

"Such a sharp wit without the brain to match. You aren't one to judge anyone for having daddy issues Dean, I mean come on, you're the poster boy for the movement."

"What. Do. You. Want?" His voice was a growl this time.

"Thought you'd like to hear the little exclusion that I added onto Bobby Singer's deal, since I know now that he told you about it."

"Exclusion?"

"I didn't send him to hell, I didn't want to do all the red tape, so I recycled instead."

"Recycled? You guys going green now too? Why would you do that, why not just throw him down there?"

"I owned someone a favour for stopping the apocalypse and putting my daddy back in the box. Couldn't do it with your deal Dean, rules you know, but Bobby, well that was one that I could manipulate."

Crowley walked over and knelt down before Dean, reaching over to stroke Robert's hair. "Such a beautiful child, your features and your brother's colouring. Those same hazel eyes….wait, are you sure that those are your brother's eyes?"

Dean pushed his hand away. "Don't touch him."

Crowley grinned up at him. "You're son has an old soul Dean."

Dean bristled, hugged his son tighter. "How can you tell the colour of his eyes when he's damn well sleeping, wait, what do you mean an old soul?" He paused. "W-ait, recycled? Are you saying that Bobby and my son are........?"

Crowley interrupted. "Christ, I could almost here that penny drop there Dean. Like I said, I had a soul and your son was about to be born and needed one, so, I killed two birds with the one stone. Icing on the cake was you naming him after him." He clapped his hands and then held them up in apology as Robert shifted and Dean scowled. "Didn't see that coming. Thought for sure that you'd have given him John's name."

Dean looked down as his sleeping child. "Why are you telling me this now, is this you just messing with my head?"

"I just thought that you'd like to know that your friend isn't burning in Hell for you Dean. That his penance will be much worse."

Crowley grinned.

"He'll have you for a father."

Dean let the enormity of that statement slide home before he spoke again. "Will he remember?"

"You know what déjà vu is, don't you Dean? That's all that it'll be. Fragments, dreams." Crowley crossed back to the window. "Enjoy your life Dean, but do me a favour?"

"What?" Dean was still looking down in wonder at his child.

"Keep your family safe and keep them away from crossroads."

With a smile and a wink he was gone.

THE END.


End file.
